


The Swan Prince

by wyvernlordminerva



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Disney, F/F, Friends to Lovers to Enemies and Back to Lovers, M/M, Mild Language, Possession, Transformation, but not really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-06-01 18:07:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6530539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyvernlordminerva/pseuds/wyvernlordminerva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nohr and Hoshido have always had a history of violence. In an attempt to strengthen their relations, they decide to betroth their crown princes, but they will soon find that there are darker forces lurking beyond the shadows. (AU based off The Swan Princess)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Beginning

The sun set early in Nohr, though its light was hardly ever noticeable through the perpetually cloudy skies. In its place, the soft glow of candlelights illuminated the corridors of Castle Krakenberg, the decorative armors and mounted weapons casting shadows of a long-forgotten war. Between these intricately-carved walls, a young prince, no older than ten, snuck closer to an imposing pair of doors where the murmurs of negotiation drifted through. He checked around him one last time to ensure he was alone and pressed his ear against the wood.

“…c-n s– n- -th-r s-l-t–n…” A deep, stern voice; definitely Father’s. The conversation trailed off, the room going silent for a moment.

“Your Majesty!” A sharp screech pierced the suspense. “You can’t seriously be considering this!” Iago, a trusted advisor and powerful sorceror. King Garon scolded him quickly, the doors shaking with his roar. Soon, the murmurs of conversation rose again.

“…-gree. Th-s -s th- best path.” An unfamiliar voice, but a fierce one, demanding of respect. King Sumeragi? Xander could hear another voice beside him, gentle and kind, almost imperceptible. Its mere presence seemed to bring peace to the negotiation room. He leaned into the door, mind searching for any kind of coherent sound he could find.

“Are you spying on Father?” Leo squeaked in an unbelievably high voice that only a six-year old could have. Xander almost screamed, turning around and squeezing his hand around his brother’s mouth. Leo wailed protests into his fingers as he desperately tried to quiet him, chairs scraping against wood in the negotiation room as its occupants noticed the commotion. 

He groaned and shoved himself and Leo into a corner behind a statue, thankfully bulky enough to block them from sight as Iago peeked out into the hall. His eyes rested on their hiding spot for a moment, uncertain, but he soon shut the doors and the meeting resumed. Xander let out a sigh of relief and released his younger brother, the boy turning around and fixing him with the strongest glare his baby face could muster. Xander laughed.

“H-hey, that’s not funny! I’m mad at you!” Leo sputtered, “And why were you spying on Father?”

“I wasn’t spying, I was… observing. Silently.” Xander said. “And what are you even doing here? You’re not allowed to be left alone.”

“Well maybe I wouldn’t be if someone wasn’t late. The servants have been going crazy looking for you!” Xander blinked.

“Late?”

“Uh, dinner?” Xander blinked again.

“Oh.” he said flatly. His eyes widened in realization. “Oh!” Without a second thought, he ran off down the halls, Leo trailing behind with a “Wait for me!”. Butlers and maids were crowded around the royals’ chambers when they arrived, frantically chattering about his disappearance only to turn and find him. The servants rushed around them, whisking the brothers away in a crowd of combs and fragrances as fingers tugged at them just to be sure there was nothing out of place before they made their entrance.

The cluster dropped them off in front of the doors to the dining hall; large, imposing structures that more often than not ruined its occupants’ appetites with its ominous aura. Camilla’s worried face lifted with the sight of them, Elise running from her leg to hug Xander in excitement.

“Big brother!” she shouted. He reached down to ruffle her hair, but stopped short in fear of messing up her curls and opted for a smile instead. “Did you see my dress? Camilla got it for me! It’s so cute!” She stepped back and twirled in her best imitation of her big sister, earning her siblings’ praise.

“You look amazing.” he said.

“Yeah, but not as amazing as Camilla!”

“Actually, I think you look cuter than I ever did.” Camilla mused, Elise beaming at the complements. It used to be one of her favorites, but she quickly outgrew it. Even if she hadn’t, the frills and ribbons never seemed to suit her, in Xander’s opinion. Camilla looked best in gowns that flowed like her hair, elegant like her temperament. “I think we’ve waited long enough. Ready for dinner?” The siblings let out a collective grunt of agreement, finally lining up to enter the dining hall.

The Hoshidans had already been seated, mirroring their arrangement almost perfectly with the exception of an extra place left for Queen Mikoto. Xander, as the crown prince, sat to the right of the head of the table, followed by Camilla. On the left, Leo and Elise did the same. The girl looked to her side, noticing another girl her age attempting to sink into her chair. An excited grin widened on her face, the other watching her in a silent terror. The dam burst, words rushing out of her mouth and washing away any tranquility in their path.

“Oh my gosh your hair is really cute I mean I always thought short hair was too boyish but you really make it work like-!” The girl’s face went hot, looking for the whole world as though she was about to burst into tears, or worse, pass out. The boy sitting next to her shot Elise a glare, promptly ignored, though Leo wasted no time in returning it in defense of his sister. The girl next to Camilla, a vibrant redhead, could only stare in horror at the impending disaster unfolding, while Camilla saw the success her younger sister was having and decided to try it herself. She flipped her lilac hair over her shoulder to catch her attention and leaned closer.

“Lovely evening, isn’t it?” she said, imitating the way the other court ladies conversed. Lightning flashed across the windows.

“Uh.” the girl blinked. It was a good enough answer, Camilla decided, and she continued making small talk, hoping something would catch on. Xander felt almost claustrophobic in his corner between the tension and awkwardness of his siblings, briefly wondering if the Hoshidan prince felt the same. He leaned forward in an attempt to see him past Camilla’s hair.

The doors creaked open, and the hall went silent. The rulers made their first appearance of the day, side by side as they took their places at the table. The queen gave her children an encouraging smile, easing away their tension and calming them down. With his father next to him, Xander felt even more cramped than before. King Garon cleared his throat, all attention on him as he stood to make his announcement.

“We are pleased to announce that our conflict with Hoshido has been resolved.” The room applauded, Elise giving a special grin at the thought of more chances to see her newest, most stressed-out friend. His father snuck a glance down at Xander, who looked up, confused. “And we can look forward to the eventual unification of our countries with the marriage of our firstborns, Xander and Ryouma.”

Xander’s blood ran cold. He hadn’t noticed he had been gawking until Camilla snapped him out of his trance with a squeeze to his shoulder and a concerned look.

“Are you okay?” she whispered, trying not to draw any extra attention to him, although the concerned eyes of everyone in his family were on him, waiting for him to cry, freak out, something. He swallowed through the tightness in his throat, barely able to manage a nod with his stiff neck. His cheeks were burning in shame; how embarrassing this must look!

“I-I…” he choked out, refusing to look at his father’s sad expression, “M-may I be excused?” Garon nodded solemnly.

“Go ahead.” Xander had to restrain himself from running. Once he was out of the room, however, he had no qualms with full-on sprinting to his quarters and collapsing face first into his bed. Arms squeezing his pillow, he wished now more than ever that his mother was still alive. She wouldn’t have let this happen. She would’ve found some other solution. She would’ve…

In his panic, he’d neglected to even look at Prince Ryouma. Was he as upset as he was? He probably thinks you’re a baby for freaking out like that, his mind helpfully supplied. Xander groaned, pulling himself out of bed to get changed. If he wasn’t going to do anything else tonight, he might as well go to sleep early.

He tugged his circlet out of his hair, placing it gently on his vanity before undoing the excessive amount of buttons on his clothes. Now in his pajamas, he pushed back the curtains and stared out the window. The deep, winding undergrounds of Nohr were all he had ever known. Would he have to live in Hoshido? Would Ryouma have to live in Nohr?

The door clicked open behind him, Camilla entering silently with a tray in her hands. He turned to scold her, tell her to leave him alone, but stopped short when he saw her expression, irritation melting from his face. 

“I brought you some tea.” she said, placing the tray on his nightstand and handing him a cup as they sat together on the bed. Xander curled his fingers around the porcelain, holding it idly in his hands with the excuse of letting it cool. “We had steaks for dinner. Are you hungry?”

“Not really.” He stared into his tea like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Camilla leaned back, looking forward.

“Everything was pretty awkward after you left. I mean, it was awkward before you left, but then it got worse. I think everyone wanted to run away.” She rambled on about the events of dinner, trying to fill the silence with something that might cheer him up. He nodded occasionally, if only to give the appearance that he was listening. Eventually, she trailed off, staring at him hunched over on the side of the bed and sighing. “I don’t think it’s fair.”

“What?”

“Doing something like that without asking you.” Xander looked at her, eyebrows furrowed.

“It’s for something really important. I’m fine.” If there’s one thing he’s learned from his lessons, it’s that rulers have to makes sacrifices for their country.

“Are you really, though?” she mumbled. They looked away from each other, both already knowing the answer. Camilla stood, smoothing out her dress and walking to the door. “It’s going to be okay, I promise.”

“Goodnight, Camilla.” She sighed.

“Goodnight, Xander.” The door clicked shut behind her. He brought his hand to his face, wiping away the tears he had refused to let fall, and placed his cup back on the tray. With a pinch of his fingers, he snuffed the candle and slid underneath the sheets, curling up into the blankets and staring listlessly at the ceiling. No matter how long he looked at it, it would never change.

* * *

Iago rushed to the gardens where Anakos waited for him, rehearsing lines in his head that hopefully wouldn’t incite any more of his anger. When he stepped into the cool night air, Anakos was relaxing on a bench, smiling down at a small bird that had made its perch on an armrest. He lifted a finger to it, letting it examine him as he turned to Iago.

“Lovely night, isn’t it? The storm clouds are gathering, Hoshido and Nohr are going to war… So many new puppets!” he said, laughing gently as the bird stepped onto his finger.

“About that. Hmm.” Anakos froze, giving him a look. “Ah… They might be… unifying?” He frowned, the bird falling lifeless to the ground.

“What.”

“Somewhere along the way, someone suggested… Marrying off the two princes.”

“Marrying off the two princes.”

“Yes. And now they have a reason to fight for peace.” Anakos rose from his seat, his cloak rippling out around him like a haze.

“Well, we’ll just have to fix that, then.” he said.

“Fix that? How?”

“Can’t marry them if they’re dead. I have poisons in my study; we’ll just have to make it look like someone from the other country did it and we’re back on track.” Iago stared at him blankly for a moment. “What are you waiting for? Get to it!” With a nod, he rushed back to the entrance, only to find guards waiting for him there.

“Seize them.” said a familiar stern voice. The guards surrounded the pair, quickly restraining them as King Garon emerged from the shadows. Anakos growled, trying to summon his magic but finding himself unable to concentrate.

“How dare you…!” he snarled.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice you two scheming right under my nose?” Garon motioned to the guards and turned his back as they carried them away. With a growl, Anakos broke free, evil magic pooling around his hands as he fired at the king. Garon dispelled the attack with a single swing of Bölverk, the resulting shockwave throwing Anakos back a few feet. The guards approached him warily.

“They are to be executed in the morning. Don’t fail me.” King Garon watched them silently as they left, Anakos resigning to his fate with a grin. The next morning, when the executioners went to fetch them, Anakos was nowhere to be found, having disappeared without a trace.


	2. A Summer in Nohr

The irregular rhythm of shoes against smooth tile echoed through the hall, Ryouma almost having to jog to keep up with his father. As thankful as he was for the distraction from the crazy scenarios his mind had been relentlessly forming all night, he was sure Prince Xander wouldn’t be happy with him showing up covered in sweat. His father, noticing his predicament, slowed down to match his pace better, grinning as Ryouma sighed in relief.

“Sure you can handle this?” his father teased. Ryouma gave a twitchy nod that looked more like he’d been electrocuted than a reassuring gesture.

“’m fine!” he choked out. The pair stopped in front of a small door, one that Ryouma probably would’ve missed completely if it weren’t for his father, who turned to give him one last appraisal. He frowned at a loose strand deviating from the rest of his perpetually messy hair and tucked it back into place, only for it to stick up again.

“Oh, that’s… fine…” he said, resigning to his son’s disheveled fate. He placed his hand on the doorknob. “Alright, stand up straight, look him in the eyes, and just introduce yourself. It’s not as hard as it seems!” Ryouma gulped and nodded. The door creaked open, and, he decided, no, it wasn’t going to be as hard as it seems. It was going to be much, much harder.

The King of Nohr and the prince stood side by side, sizing him up with twin stern expressions, neither seeming happy with what they saw. 

“Don’t worry, that’s just how they usually look.” his father leaned over and whispered. He offered them a nervous smile as King Sumeragi ushered him forward until he and the other Prince were standing face-to-face. Xander took the initiative, steeling himself with a huff and holding out his hand.

“I am Prince Xander of Nohr. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” he said quietly, looking down at the ground. ‘ _He seems… shy_.’ Ryouma mused, ’ _Sort of like Sakura_.’ For the first time, the thought crossed his mind that the other boy might be just as scared as he was. Ryouma took his hand and shook it perhaps a little too roughly, if the brief flicker of shock across Xander’s face was any indication.

“I’m Prince Ryouma of Hoshido, and, uh…” He should probably say something nice here. But what? Cool place you got here? Too informal. Nice weather today? He glanced at the grey light streaming through the window. Embarrassing. Oh gods, he’s starting to look confused, just say something, just say _something_ -

“You have nice eyes.” he blurted out. Said eyes widened in horror and his father burst into cackles behind him. Xander’s face flushed bright red, and Ryouma’s followed soon after as even King Garon let out a chuckle. Mercifully, he stepped in.

“I’ve heard from your father that you’re interested in swordplay, Ryouma. Xander, why don’t you show him the sparring grounds?” He didn’t need to be told twice, relieved to have an excuse to leave. Ryouma moved to follow him out, but a hand clamped down on his shoulder.

“Next time, a simple ‘nice to meet you, too’ will suffice.” his father said between chuckles. Ryouma suddenly found the floor very interesting. With one last laugh, King Sumeragi sent him after Xander and turned to Garon with a smirk. 

“Pretty smooth, huh? He gets it from me.”

* * *

“I’m bored!” Takumi whined for what Mikoto was certain was the 13th time. She let out a haggard sigh, praying for the Great Dragons to grant her mercy and give Nohr some clear weather for once. Hinoka was feeling similarly impatient, and she half expected her to run out into the rain regardless.

“Well, we neglected to bring a shogi board, but perhaps you’d be up to the Nohrian equivalent?” she suggested hopefully. Takumi frowned, rolling onto his back and fixing the ceiling with a glare.

“I don’t wanna touch anything Nohrian. They probably ruined it anyway.”  
“But we’re in a Nohrian castle.” Hinoka said. Takumi mock-shivered as though the mere thought was enough to send chills down his spine.

“Sometimes sacrifices must be made.” he decided resolutely. Feeling lost, Mikoto looked to her retainers, Orochi and Reina, for help. Orochi made a spectacle of looking lost in thought, running her finger down her chin with a hum.

“I wonder if any of the other princes and princesses are busy?” she mused perhaps a bit too loudly.

“Eww!”

“Hell no.”

“Hinoka, language!”

“Heck no.” Mikoto heaved another sigh.

“When’s lunch?” Sakura chirped from her lap.

“Oh, in about two hours.” Reina answered. The group let out a collective groan. Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door, and a little girl with two blonde pigtails peeked in. Her eyes landed on Sakura, face instantly brightening as she bounced over to Mikoto, mouth already moving a million miles an hour.

“Ah, sorry to interrupt you, sweetie, but what are you doing here all by yourself?” Mikoto asked, greeting her with a confused smile.

“Oh, the servants weren’t looking, so I snuck out!” Somewhere, two soldiers-in-training were losing their minds. “I wanted to invite Sakura to my tea party! You can come too, if you want!” Mikoto looked down at Sakura, recognizing her I-want-to-say-yes-but-I’m-internally-screaming face, and smiled.

“We would be honored to attend your tea party.” Elise cheered. “Would anyone else like to join us?” Takumi shook his head frantically as Hinoka pretended to barf. She chuckled. “Alright, Orochi and Reina are in charge. We’ll be back soon.” The pair gave half-hearted goodbyes as their last source of entertainment left, returning to their bored repose.

Orochi clapped her hands with a wide grin, looking down at the kids.

“So, who’s ready to have some fun?” she said. The kids stared at her, unimpressed.

“Mom says it’s too dangerous to wander the castle.” Hinoka said.

“Well, your mom isn’t here, and I for one am not going to spend the next few hours staring at the wall.” She turned towards the door. Reina smiled. “It’s a shame you won’t get to see the library.” That caught Takumi’s attention, his locking onto her and watching her carefully.

“That’s worse!” Hinoka groaned.

“Perhaps we could visit the stables instead?” Reina interjected. Hinoka’s face lit up.

“So, it’s settled then! Takumi and I will visit the library, and you and Hinoka will go look at the pretty horsies!” Takumi made a show of begrudgingly joining them, as though participating in one of his favorite hobbies was the worst thing in the world, as Hinoka quickly gathered her things with a smile on her face. 

“I love it when things work out! Now, let’s hurry before your mother gets back.” Orochi quickly ushered the young prince out of the room. Reina scribbled a note on a spare piece of parchment and left it on the table.

“Just in case.” she said, and the pair went on their way.

* * *

The weather outside wasn’t exactly conducive for friendly sparring, but if Nohrians cancelled practice every time it rained, they wouldn’t have much of an army. There were both indoor arenas and outdoor areas covered by high stone canopies for more volatile battles. Xander chose indoors, finding it a bit too cold outside, and led Ryouma to one of the smaller, more secluded rooms where they were unlikely to be disturbed by any soldiers.

Xander glanced at the other prince, watching as he examined the wooden training swords. Briefly, he wondered how he fought with all that hair. Camilla’s got in her way constantly, and it wasn’t nearly as unruly. He hadn’t realized how intensely he had been staring until Ryouma eyed him nervously.

“Uh, these are a bit different than the ones I’m used to… Do you have any regular ones?” he said, breaking the silence. Xander blinked, looking down at the matching sword in in his hands.

“Aren’t these the regular ones?”

“Well, no, the regular ones are much more balanced… Nevermind. Let’s just go!” Ryouma made the first strike, Xander sidestepping to evade it and following with a lunge of his own. Within seconds, they were locked in an intense combat, blind to everything but each other.

* * *

Takumi sighed, shoving the copy of _How to Make Him Fall for You in a Fortnight_ back on the shelf. Fifteen minutes of searching and he had yet to find something actually interesting. Orochi had quickly busied herself with texts on Nohrian magic, leaving him to roam the shelves in his own. Everything in the history section used words he couldn’t understand, and he wasn’t having any luck in this aisle, either. He was about to give up completely when he noticed a cozy window seat hidden in an alcove.

Books of various types were scattered across the cushions. He tentatively picked one up and leafed through the pages, pleased to find that yes, he could read this one. With a shrug, he curled up into the pillows and opened to the first page, soon falling into a peaceful reverie.

Leo ducked behind a shelf with a gasp. There was someone. In his seat. He peeked out from behind the wood, recognizing the tuft of silver hair. Ugh, that annoying person from last night. Said person felt his glare from across the room, lifting his eyes from his book to meet his. With a huff, Leo marched up to the windowsill, making sure to leer as imposingly as possible with his 3 feet 6 inches of height.

“You’re in my spot.” he said. Takumi shut his book with a thump, placing it gently out of the way.

“I was here first.”

“I always sit here.”

“You weren’t sitting here when I came in.” Leo scowled, refusing to give in.

“Get out.”

“Make me.” With a growl, he grabbed Takumi’s legs and yanked him off. Takumi tackled the other boy, easily overpowering him and sitting on his back to pin him to the floor.

“Let me go!” Leo screeched from under him, struggling to pull himself out. He crossed his arms petulantly as the hurried footsteps of their respective babysitters approached them. Horrified, Orochi yanked him off the other boy.

“Oh, I am so, so sorry! Prince Takumi, what is wrong with you?” she shrieked. He pointedly ignored her until she spun him around to face Leo, who suddenly looked like he was going to burst into tears as the accompanying Dark Mage questioned him. “Apologize!” He groaned. “Prince Takumi-!”

“I’m sorry you’re such a brat.” he said, looking him right in his watery eyes. Orochi seethed.

“Perhaps you should leave.” the Dark Mage said, mirroring her upset look.

“But he started it!” She roughly yanked on his shoulder.

“Perhaps we shall.” She pulled him out into the hall, the pair refusing to look at each other as they walked back to the guest commons. Leo sniffed.

“Are you alright? That little heathen didn’t hurt you, did he?” one of the newer mage recruits, Zola, asked. He shook his head and let himself be pulled up. “Do you need anything? I can get-”

“Let’s just go. I don’t wanna read anymore.”

* * *

Hinoka wasn’t too happy on her end, either.

“Where are their wings?” she asked, staring blankly at a shaggy-looking pony. Reina laughed, usually a deep, unsettling sound, but this time good-humored.  
“They’re horses, not pegasi. They don’t have wings.” Hinoka scrunched her nose in disgust.

“That’s so pointless.” Regardless, she reached out her hand to pet them, the sullen beast perking up at her affection. 

“If you’re looking for something that can fly, you’d be better off in the wyverns’ pens.” a familiar voice said as they approached from behind. Hinoka whirled around to meet her, recognizing her lilac hair and assertive grin even through the layers of riding gear she was wearing.

“Ah, y-you!”

“Ah, me.” The other girl slithered up to her side, tossing the pony a treat as she watched Hinoka with an intense gaze. “How was dinner last night? I hope it wasn’t too agonizing.”

“It was fine.” she mumbled as she examined her clothes. “Do you… ride these?”

“What? Of course not!” Camilla answered with a laugh. “These are more Xander’s thing… Wanna see what I ride?” She smirked. Hinoka nodded hesitantly and allowed herself to be led off into a more sinister-looking section of the stables. Unruly dragons yanked on their restraints in excitement as the trio approached, clanking metal mixing with otherworldly screeches. Hinoka shuddered and made sure to walk in the center of the aisle, envisioning one of their sharp teeth piercing her arm.

“Calphurnia! Oh, you look lovely today!” Camilla said as she rushed up to a pen that looked slightly fancier than the others. The wyvern inside energetically meet her hand, metallic purple scales gleaming in the light. Hinoka approached her cautiously as a the other girl showered her pet with affection. 

“Don’t be afraid! They’re like giant puppies once you get to know them!” Camilla chirped. Hinoka gave her a concerned look. “Just… with more teeth and other pointy bits. Go ahead, pet her!” Hinoka slowly reached out her arm, occasionally glancing at Camilla’s wide grin for assurance. Calphurnia nudged her nose into her hand, rubbing her head against her as Hinoka scratched. A smile grew on her face, her arm decidedly still in one piece. Camilla clapped her hands together, happy that her friends were getting along with each other.

“Can I… ride her?” Hinoka asked. The other girl frowned.

“Ah, maybe not. Wyverns are very hard to control.” Hinoka’s face fell in disappointment. “But perhaps when we visit Hoshido next summer, you can show me how to ride a pegasus!”

“Yeah!” she whooped. Suddenly, her excitement melted into confusion. “…Wait, what?”

“Next summer. We’re staying at your place.” Hinoka blinked.

“Ah, my apologies, princess. I forgot to tell you. The crown princes and their families will be spending their summers together to better get to know each other until the wedding.” Reina explained. Hinoka’s jaw dropped.

“We have to stay here the _entire summer_?”

-  
Mikoto sipped her imaginary tea, watching as her daughter desperately tried to keep up with Elise’s conversation topics.

“-and then Leo made fun of me! Isn’t that mean?” said princess prattled, Sakura nodding quickly with a resolute expression. “Xander yelled at him for it, though. Isn’t he the best?” Sakura nodded again. “Hey, what’s your big brother like?” Sakura’s face went blank, not expecting the conversation to turn to her. “Him an’ Xander are 'betrothed’ now, so I should know!”

“W-well…” Sakura started.

“Hey, what’s 'betrothed’ mean?” Elise asked Mikoto, previous inquiry totally forgotten. Mikoto laughed.

“It means they’re getting married.” she said. Elise’s eyes lit up.

“ _Married?_ ” she squealed, eyes sparkling, “Oh! My! Gosh! We have to-! We have to-!” She was practically hyperventilating in excitement.

“Ah, don’t worry, it won’t be for a while.” Mikoto interjected, slightly worried that the girl was about to pass out.

“Wait, how long is a while?”

“Years. At least eight, probably more.” Elise’s jaw dropped in horror.

“B-but! That’s so _long_! That’s like-!” She counted on her fingers, “Twice as long as I’ve been alive!”

“Well, we want to give them time to get to know each other. Can you imagine marrying a person you just met and knew nothing about?” Elise crossed her arms and pursed her lips, seeming to understand her point.

“But me and Sakura just met and we know each other! And Ryouma’s a good guy! Right?” Sakura jumped in her seat, startled.

“Y-yeah.” she mumbled. Mikoto chuckled again.

“But would you really be comfortable marrying Sakura, say, tomorrow?” Sakura flushed and sputtered.

“Yeah!” Elise pouted indignantly. Her poor daughter was as pink as the cherry blossoms she’d been named after.

“C-can we talk about something else, please?” she stuttered. It was the most she’d said the entire day.

“Yes!” Elise proclaimed, “We can talk about how we’re going to get our dumb big brothers together!” Sakura shoved her face in her hands. Well, Mikoto figured, it couldn’t hurt.

* * *

Ryouma dropped his sword to the ground with a thump, breathing heavily against Xander’s poised on his neck. A grin spread across his face as he stared at the other boy with wide eyes.

“I win.” Xander said, lowering his sword.

“Disgraced…” Ryouma mumbled, dramatically falling to his knees. “I must fulfill a samurai’s-!” He grabbed his discarded wooden sword, pretending to jab it through his stomach. “…final duty…” He fell face first into the floor with one last blegghh. Xander looked confused for a second, but then laughed softly at the display.

Ryouma smiled, dusting himself off as he stood. Xander wiped the sweat off his forehead, glancing out the window to find that the rain had cleared up and the sun was shining.

“Wanna take a break? The rain stopped.” he said. Ryouma’s face lit up.

“Oh man, I haven’t been outside in forever!” he said as he hurriedly shoved his sword back on the shelf. Xander mirrored him.

“The ground’s probably muddy, though.” Ryouma shrugged.

“Who cares?” The pair rushed outside, humid air sticking to their skin as they searched for a place to relax. Xander found a quiet place under a tree, and he prided himself in only wincing a little when water started soaking into his clothes. His partner, however, didn’t seem to care, sick of the stuffy air of Krakenberg and drunk on nature. Either way, he was certain they would both regret this later. 

They sat together quietly for a few minutes, and then Ryouma spoke.

“Hey Xander.” He looked to the other boy at the mention of his name, but Ryouma refused to meet his eye.

“Yeah?”

“Are you upset? A-about… getting stuck with me.” he mumbled. Xander went cold, unable to respond. Ryouma closed his eyes with a huff. “Yeah, that’s what I thought." 

"No, I just…” he trailed off, thinking back to last night, “I don’t really know what to think.” Ryouma hummed in understanding. “Are you okay with this?”

“Well, I figure… maybe if we can be friends at least, it won’t be so bad.” he said, trying a nervous smile. Xander blinked and managed to nod.

“Yeah.” he breathed. Ryouma stood up and dusted off his pants; pointless, seeing as they were soaked anyway.

“We should head back.” he said, helping Xander up. He nodded again, unable to think of any other way to respond. Later, as the maids were complaining about his ruined clothes, he thought back on that conversation, confused.

_Did Ryouma… just want to stay friends?_


	3. A Summer in Hoshido

Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. Elise took an angry bite out of her mochi, glarely quietly at their older brothers chatting in the garden. Ryouma said something that earned one of Xander’s rare smiles, and she went livid. Eleven years. Eleven whole years, and they were still totally clueless.

“Elise, your tea is getting cold.” Sakura mumbled. Her eyes followed Elise’s out the window and to their brothers, confused. “Is there something wro-”

“I can’t take it anymore!” she said, slamming her hands on the table as she stood. Sakura jumped, narrowly avoiding spilling her tea as she stared at the other girl in horror.

“What’s wrong?” She placed down her cup just in case.

“Did you just see those two?” She glanced back out the window.

“Yeah?”

“Isn’t it insane?”

“I guess.” She had no idea what Elise was talking about, but that was fairly standard. Elise paced across the room as Sakura decided it was safe to drink her tea again, stealthily helping herself to the other girl’s abandoned sweets.

“This can’t go on. Look at them! Look at him looking at him! Look at _him_ looking at him! They’re so in love and yet they’re still-!” She froze mid-step, turning to Sakura with a determined look. “Sakura, you and me. We’re going to get them to admit their feelings if it’s the last thing we do!”

“Ah.” Sakura blinked. “What?”

“You heard me!”

“Yeah, but how?” Elise opened her mouth to speak, but came up empty. Somehow, her vast experience gained from reading cheesy romance novels was not helpful here.

“Uhh… Hmm. Camilla! Camilla can help!” Elise proclaimed as she rushed out of the room. “Put down your tea and let’s go!”

“Hey, wait!” Sakura called as she stumbled after her. “Don’t run in the-” A crash and an “eek!” “…Halls.” She tentatively peeked out from behind the screen frame, clutching the wood with a grip tight enough for her knuckles to go white. Elise was collapsed in a heap along with their respective countries’ advisors, both looking confused and somewhat terrified.

“Miss Elise, are you alright?” Yukimura asked, adjusting his glasses. Said miss sprung back onto her feet with a smile, the other victim from the crash squawking from under her toes.

“Whoops, sorry Zola!” she said, bashfully removing herself from his back. Sakura raced up to her and pushed her head down as she bowed.

“We’re so sorry! We should’ve been more careful!” she said.

“Ah, it’s no problem at all.” Yukimura said as he straightened his appearance, “But where were you off to in such a hurry?”

“Ohh, y'know… Princess-y things. We’re very busy people!” Elise said, “Speaking of, we should get back to that. See you guys later!” And with that, she was off again, Sakura apologizing once more and following her. 

“They’re… Quite odd.” Zola mused.

“Yes, but it’s nice to see our countries getting along.” Yukimura said.

“Ah, that reminds me! Unfortunately, we will have to push back the wedding another year, eheh!” Yukimura’s eyes widened in shock.

“ _Again_? Are you certain?”

“My apologies. I simply don’t think they’re ready yet. And, well, with so much riding on this…” Zola said.

“I understand, but the people are getting a bit worried. Are you sure?”

“Better safe than sorry! I’m certain this delay will be the last!”

“If you say so…” Their voices trailed off down the hall.

Meanwhile, Camilla was happily basking in Hoshido’s warm afternoon sun with her new favorite novel, watching quietly as Hinoka worked on her daily training routine.

“Hinoka, darling, I think that dummy’s had enough.” she said, pulling down her sunglasses to look the other girl in the eye.

“Nah. It’s got a good ten or so hits still in it!” Hinoka slashed at it again with her naginata to prove her point. The dummy swayed on its pole, head lulling to fix her with the tortured eyes of a broken man.

“Couldn’t you take a break, at least?” she said, “Look at the skies! It’s the perfect day for relaxing. We could go swimming - Oh! The hot springs here are so lovely…” Hinoka sighed and put down her weapon.

“If you insist.” she replied with a grin. The pair walked back to the castle together, cleaning up their things as they went. 

Hoshido’s bright sun shined even in the halls, lighting up priceless treasures and artifacts with a sparkle as the pair walked. However, it was unusual that they were accompanied by echoing screeches.

“What’s that noise…?” Hinoka mumbled, looking around in confusion. Camilla merely smiled and stood still.

“Caaaaamillllllaaaaaa!” Elise wailed like a siren as she turned the corner and spotted her older sister. She rushed over to meet her, Sakura stumbling behind.

“Hello, Elise.” she replied with a smile, giving her little sister some time to catch her breath, “How’s my adorable little sister doing today?”

“Good.” she gasped. “But that’s not important! I need to ask you something.” Camilla blinked.

“Go ahead.”

“How do you know you’re in love?” Camilla froze in shock for a moment, but then smiled softly.

“Well, it’s usually like a sudden realization… One day, you just look at them differently and realize, ‘I want to spend the rest of my life with this person.’” Camilla said, seeming lost in thought as she stared at Hinoka out of the corner of her eye. “It’s incredible, yet terrifying. Impossible to mistake.”

“Yeah, I know that.” Elise said dismissively, “But when do you know it? Like, what’s the moment you realize it?” Daydream broken, Camilla gave her a strange look.

“Well, I suppose when you notice that the thought of them being with anyone else is so painful that-” A grin grew ear-to-ear on Elise’s face.

“That’s it!” she yelled, cutting her off, “C'mon, let’s go find the others. I have a plan!” And with that, she took off again, this time with two more accomplices, still as confused as they were a few minutes ago.

* * *

It was a well-understood fact that Takumi and Leo did not get along. Ever since their first meeting, they had been at each other’s throats, endlessly harassing one another. After a while, however, the constant hexes and Camilla’s death threats had gotten exhausting to deal with. They were separated, and the pair fell into a peaceful routine of completely ignoring one another. Everyone was happy.

Everyone except Takumi, at least.

There were only so many hours a day you could spend in the archery range, and Leo had officially conquered the library, making it impossible to do any studying. He had hoarded some books in his room as a precaution, but they hadn’t lasted nearly as long as he hoped. He sighed. Maybe it was time to swallow his pride and move on.

He was an adult. He could admit that he was a little jealous of how well everyone else got along; it was like they were made for each other. His fingers curled around the book he had brought. It was his favorite; it had been since he first found it buried between the overbearing tomes beside it. There Leo was, relaxing with a tome Takumi was certain he had read several times already. All he had to do is go up and recommend it to him. It was easy! Sure, he chickened out the last eight times he’d tried, but this one was different-

“Leo!”

Oh look, an excuse. Takumi shoved the book down his shirt, grateful for the utility of unnecessary layers. Elise strutted up to Leo, who marked his page and shut his book with a thump. He scrutinized her, face blank as he tried to figure out why she was bothering him, and why she felt the need to bring the rest of the castle with her.

“Do you need something?” he finally said.

“I’m calling a family meeting! Have you seen Takumi around?” she asked. Leo pointed to the shelf he was hiding behind.

“He’s been standing there for twenty minutes. I think he might be dead.” Leo said. Takumi sighed, begrudgingly stepping out to meet them. The group gathered around a table, Elise looking them over with discerning eyes.

“As some of you may know, we have a huge problem on our hands.” she started.

“What’s that?” Hinoka asked.

“Xander and Ryouma are dumb babies!” The table stared at her in confused silence. “C'mon, haven’t you seen them? It’s so frustrating!”

“And you needed all of us to complain about it?” Leo said. He had already reopened his book and continued reading.

“Leo, this is very important! They were supposed to get married years ago, but they just aren’t budging!” she said. “But I have a plan! We’re going to get them together by the end of this summer if it’s the last thing I do!”

“Elise, I think you should just let them figure it out on their own. It’s not good to rush these things.” Camilla said.

“Is eleven years really rushing it? And besides, we’re not going to force them together, we’re just gonna… give them a nice, gentle shove!”

“And who’s 'we’?” Takumi asked.

“I’m gonna need all you guys’ help if this is gonna work.” Elise leaned forward in her seat. “I have a plan.” Takumi groaned silently. Somehow, he knew this wasn’t going to end well for him.

“First, we need the ideal, romantic setting! Camilla!” She turned to attention. “Talk to the chefs and set up the perfect one-on-one dinner for them. In the garden! And Leo!” He looked up from his book. “You’ll convince Xander to go.”

“I don’t want to.” he said. His sisters scowled at him. “Fine.”

“Wait, what about Ryouma?” Takumi asked. Elise grinned.

“That’s the twist! He’s not going with Ryouma. He’s going with… Hinoka!”

“No way.”

“Takumi it is!” He almost choked, Leo cackling next to him. He was briefly reminded of why they hadn’t gotten along. “Xander gonna be so disappointed to see you there, he’ll have to wonder why. And then Ryouma shows up, and he’ll realize he can’t stand the thought of him being with anyone else! It’s perfect!”

“Hey! Why does it have to be me?” he sputtered. Leo took a deep breath to calm himself down, and immediately burst into laughter again.

“Well, Hinoka said no, and Sakura would start crying. You don’t want Sakura to be upset, do you?” Sakura looked at him with watery eyes. Elise was a bad influence.

“But-!”

“And besides, I don’t think Xander is too interested in women.” Leo said with a smirk. Takumi sunk into his seat, face red as he resigned himself to his humiliating fate.

“It’s settled, then!” Elise proudly declared. “Let’s do this!”

* * *

_“…Camilla and Hinoka are gonna make this evening perfect!”_

The pair looked over their little garden paradise. Blossoms dotted the arbor, soft, pink petals fluttering down with every breath of the wind. A table had been meticulously positioned for the finest view and comfort, draped delicately with a fine lace tablecloth and garnished with forget-me-nots. After dinner, they would have time to watch the sun set.

“I do believe I’ve outdone myself this time.” Camilla said. Hinoka nodded with a smile, admiring more than just her hard work.

_“…And Leo just needs to invite Xander and Ryouma at different times.”_

“What do you mean there’s someone waiting for me in the garden?” Xander asked.

“I don’t know anything else. Just that it’s important.”

“Well, if you insist…” Xander left, puzzled. There was a small part of him hoping it was what he thought it was, as improbable as it may seem.

Twenty minutes later, Leo finds Ryouma.

“Someone’s waiting for you in the garden…”

_“…Xander’s too awkward to turn you down, but he’ll silently be wishing you were Ryouma. And once Ryouma gets there, they’ll be so overcome by their love they’ll have to confess! And then Ryouma will take Xander in his arms and-!”_

_“I think we get the point.”_

Takumi paced back and forth across the stone, too anxious to sit down at the table. He knew next to nothing about Xander, and here he was, meant to… hit on him? How was this plan supposed to work again? This was the last time he’d ever listen to a fourteen year-old with a matchmaker complex-

“Takumi?” a confused voice sounded from behind him.

“Xander!” he squeaked. He took pride in the fact that he was only slightly terrified of the Nohrian prince. “Uh, hi!” Dimly, he berated himself for not rehearsing anything to say beforehand. He tried to smile, face twitching in all the wrong ways, and approached Xander.

“Are…you the one who wanted to speak with me?” he asked, looking around to see if there was anyone else. Takumi bit his lip.

“Y-yeah! Uhh…” Xander looked absolutely baffled. “Dinner! Are you hungry? I’ll go get someone-” He stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“Takumi, is this what I think it is?” Oh, this was not working. Where was Ryouma?

“…What do you think it is?” Xander frowned.

“I’m betrothed. You know that.”

“Yeah, but-!”

“I apologize, but I do not return your feelings.” And with that, Xander turned on his heel and walked away.

“Oh, that’s the fastest I’ve ever seen someone get rejected…” Sakura mumbled, emerging from her hiding spot in the trees. Takumi’s face burned.

“Whatever! This plan was stupid, anyway!” he said, storming off and pretending like he wasn’t at least a little offended. 

“I should probably tell Elise that we have a problem…” Sakura grabbed a bun off the forgotten table and followed after him quietly.

* * *

Leo, having finished his job, was about to return to his room for the evening when he heard Elise shrill.

“What do you mean, he just left? You’re not _that_ unattractive!" 

"Thanks.” Leo snorted. Yeah, that was about what he expected.

“Takumi, the entire plan hinged on that! What’re we gonna do?” Elise was tugging on her hair so hard her ponytail was coming loose.

“Better come up with something quick. Ryouma’s on his way.” Leo interjected.

“Aughh! Sakura, we have to stop him!” she wailed, grabbing the other girl’s hand and pulling her away. Sakura managed a wave goodbye before they disappeared around the corner. He turned to Takumi with a smirk.

“Two minutes must be a new record.” he said condescendingly. It was enough to send the other boy off in a fit of rage, slamming the door to what Leo was pretty sure was a closet behind him. 

“C'mon, we have to-eek!” Elise slammed into another person for the second time that day, but this time, only she and Sakura crashed to the ground, Ryouma stumbling back a little. He quickly lifted them back up, giving them time to compose themselves.

“Are you two okay? Why are you running?” he asked.

“Running? We weren’t running! Right Sakura?” she said, panting for breath.

“We’re in a bit of a rush… Ah!” They had managed to stop Ryouma just before they entered the garden. “Don’t go in there!” He gave her a confused look.

“Why not?”

“Uhh, they changed their mind! Nobody’s waiting for you, you can go back inside!” Elise said. Ryouma gave them an appraising stare, looking at their nervous expressions and flushed faces. After a moment, he smiled knowingly.

“I see. I’ll head back then.” Elise let out a sigh of relief. “Ah, but can you let 'them’ know that I already knew, and that I hope they’re happy together?” Elise’s jaw dropped.

“W-what?” she exclaimed, Ryouma laughing as he walked off. Sakura furrowed her brow.

“That doesn’t make any sense…” she mumbled. Elise, still speechless, was quickly turning a pink to match her outfit. “Elise, a-are you okay?”

* * *

Leo knocked on the door for what must’ve been the thirtieth time.

“Takumi.” he said. No reply. “Takumi.” he said again.

“Go away already!” Takumi yelled, voice muffled by the door.

“You can’t hide in there forever.”

“Yes I can!” Leo groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Oh for the love of-! Just come out already!” he said, pounding on the door again.

“No!”

“Can’t you see I’m trying to apolo-” he cut himself off and ran a hand down his face. “Fine. Spend all night in there for all I care.” As he turned to walk away, he heard the clicking sound of a door unlocking.

“What was that? I didn’t quite hear you.” Takumi chirped. Leo hissed out a breath.

“I’m sorry I was rude.” he said, straining to keep his tone even as he met his eyes.

“And inconsiderate!”

“And inconsiderate.” Takumi smirked, accepting his apology. Leo watched in confusion as he reached into his shirt, grabbing the book he had stashed there earlier.

“I think you would like this!” he said, shoving it into the other boy’s hands and slamming the door closed again before he could react. Leo stared at the door blankly for a moment before examining the book in his hands.

“I’ve already read this one.”

"Read it again.”

* * *

Xander sighed, finding a seat amongst the flower bushes and staring at the sky, just beginning to light up with the brilliant colors of the sunset. Hoshido was so full of life compared to Nohr; it was hard not to be fascinated by it, even though he had seen it many times. He took a deep breath and let himself relax, forgetting about the day’s bizzare events. 

“You’re here too, Xander?” Ryouma said from behind him. He made room on his seat, waiting for him to join him. “You look as tired as you do when you finish a meeting with all those obnoxious noblemen in Nohr. Rough day?” Xander grimaced.

“You could say that.” Ryouma laughed, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

“Well, you’ll never guess who finally confessed!”

“Oh gods, it wasn’t Leo, was it?”

“What? No, Elise and Sakura are together now! Isn’t that wonderful?” He blinked.

“Oh. Finally.” Ryouma laughed again. “I’m glad to see our families getting along so well.” Xander mused, leaning back. Ryouma’s face fell. He seemed to think for a moment before speaking.

“Xander, we need to talk.” he said, looking the other man straight in the eye. Xander stilled under his gaze.

“About what?” he asked, mouth suddenly dry.

“You’ve been avoiding me lately, and whenever I do see you, you always come up with some excuse to leave.” Xander looked away.

“I’m a busy person.” he lied. It was as transparent as the dewdrops on the leaves.

“Xander, if you don’t want me around, you should just tell me-”

“What? No, of course not!” He bit his lip. “That’s the exact opposite of what I want." 

"I don’t understand.” Ryouma said.

“I just…” he sighed, mentally steeling himself, “Ryouma, why are we engaged?” Ryouma blinked.

“To unite our kingdoms.” he said. Xander frowned.

“Is that all?" 

”…Did you want something else?“ Xander went quiet. It was all the answer he needed, Ryouma decided, chuckling softly.

"What are you laughing at?”

“Oh, Xander…” he breathed, “If you’d told me sooner…” He reached out to cup Xander’s cheek, leaning in and kissing him gently. Genuine happiness bubbling in his chest, Xander smiled against his lips as he wrapped his arms around his neck. This alone was better than anything they could’ve dreamed.

“Oh my. Seems our spot has been taken.” The two jerked apart immediately, turning their heads to see Camilla smiling with Hinoka’s hand in hers. The two men sputtered apologies as they stood to leave, but Camilla motioned for them to stop. “It’s no problem at all. Have fun.” The pair moved on, heading deeper into the gardens as the sun finally disappeared from the horizon. The two sat in embarrassed silence for a moment.

“It’s getting late.”

“Agreed.” They rushed back inside, and for the first time in quite a while, Xander laughed.

* * *

Camilla blew out the match, having lit the lanterns set up in the arbor. Hinoka smiled.

“And here I thought all this was going to go to waste!” she said, admiring the flowers in the soft, golden light. Camilla joined her at the table.

“I had a feeling Elise’s plan wouldn’t work out. Either way, I don’t think she’ll mind if we salvage what’s left of it for ourselves.” She crossed her legs, leaning forward to gaze at the girl across from her with a smile. “So, I hear something interesting happened earlier with our dear little brothers…”

Much later, the servants would find the two princes curled up together in the closet, covered in books and fast asleep.


	4. Winds of Change

Nohr’s autumns were a sight to behold, flurries of orange and red bathing the ground in the colors of flame. Similarly in disarray, the servants of Castle Krakenburg brushed through the halls like scattered leaves in the wind, darting from room to room as they carried out their orders. Ribbons, flowers, and other decorations were arranged around the rooms, seemingly random, until another servant would come along and move it to a better spot. 

A maid balanced a large stack of ornamental china in her arms, craning her neck to see past them. Another maid, moving much too quickly with that glassware, bumped into her in her hurry. Horrified, the maid tried to rebalance the plates, but a single dish wobbled off the top, seeming to fall in slow motion. A nearby soldier sensed the presence of injustice and dashed to her aid. 

“Never fear!” he cried, voice exuberant with heroism, “I shall save you!” In an incredible stroke of misfortune, a nearby servant accidentally dropped a marble bust, at first relieved to find it in one piece until the guard unceremoniously tripped over it and fell on the maid, the fragile stack of fine china falling to the ground with a long stream of resounding crashes. The room went silent for a moment as its occupants assessed the damage, but resumed their tasks the moment they recognized the distinct red and blue uniform of the guard, infamous for his rotten luck. 

 "Is… Is anyone going to help him?“ Ryouma whispered to Xander, who hadn’t even looked up from the guest list he was perusing. 

"Just give him a minute. This happens a lot.” he said. Surely enough, the soldier sprung back onto his feet, unaffected by the shrapnel cuts he had sustained from protecting the maid. “…Do we know an Izana of Izumo?" 

"I’ve met him once. He’s… interesting, to say the least.” Ryouma replied. Despite everything, the Great Hall was coming together, slowly and painfully. Distantly, he saw his father entering the room and giving it an appraising stare. Spotting them amongst the crowd, he walked over to greet the lucky couple. 

“How’s everything going over here?” Sumeragi asked. 

“Well, the wedding’s in a week, and we have just about nothing done.” Xander said. 

“That’s not true! We sent out the invitations!” Ryouma said, grinning. Xander smiled through an exaggerated sigh and flipped through his papers. 

“As you can see here, we’re very behind schedule…” He rambled on about the details, details Ryouma had heard excessively the entire day, so he made the quiet decision to tune him out a little and instead admire his fiancé. Even stressed, the other prince showed no signs of wear, neat without a single strand or thread out of place. “…and we might have to postpone it regardless, unfortunately. Father hasn’t been feeling well these past weeks, and I’m not sure he’ll recover in time." 

"Oh, don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Sumeragi assured him. “After all, he is the man who managed to climb Mount Sagesse while running a fever from the local flu!” He laughed at the memory for a moment, then clapped a hand on their shoulders. “Well, good luck you two! Looks like you’re gonna need it.” He left the pair to their work, and they easily fell back into their pattern of checking off the list and uselessly ordering around the servants. Xander stifled a yawn, glancing out the window to find the courtyard blanketed in a thick darkness. 

“Getting tired?” Ryouma teased. He sluggishly shook his head, blinking quickly to clear his vision. 

“No, I’m fine. We should finish this.” he said. Ryouma plucked the checklists from his hands. 

“You should go. You’ve been overworking yourself lately.” he said, giving him a reassuring smile. “I can take it from here. There’s not much left, anyway.” Xander mirrored his expression. 

“If you insist.” he said, tone devoid of any actual bitterness. Ryouma was right. The past few weeks had been nothing but disaster after disaster. He sighed, exhausted, as he climbed up to the royals’ residency with the full intention of passing out on his bed, until he walked past Camilla’s room. He argued with himself for a moment, then tentatively knocked on the door. 

“Camilla.” he called. The latch clicked open, Camilla moving to lean on the door frame in her silk robe. 

“Oh, are you finally finished? I never thought it’d get done.” she said with a warm smile. 

“It’s not. Ryouma demanded I take a break.” She laughed. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.” Camilla’s expression fell. 

“It’s Father, isn’t it.” she said, face grim. He nodded. “He’s getting worse?" 

"He’s just been acting so strange lately.” Briefly, he thought back to the other day when he’d been thrown out for “talking too loudly”, or whatever trivial thing he had claimed. “The healers have no idea what’s going on either. He won’t let them in.” Camilla hummed pensively. 

“You don’t think it could be a curse, do you?" 

"I’m not sure. How would they have cast it? It doesn’t make any sense…” The two stood in thought for a moment, neither one wanting to break the silence. 

“I’m going to go check on him.” Xander finally said. Camilla gave him a wary look. 

“You don’t have to.” she said. Seeing that her words had no effect on him, she moved to close the door. “…Good luck, then.” The latch clicked shut, and Xander was left alone to his thoughts, legs heavy as he trekked onward to his father’s room. 

The door was cracked open, a dim stream of light flowing out onto the tile. Father reveled in the idea of closing himself off to others, especially at night, and Xander wasn’t sure what to think as he crept up to it, pushing it open just a bit more so that he could peek inside. The room was empty, devoid of all signs of life except crumpled sheets and a flickering candle on the dresser. He entered carefully, scanning for any sign of movement as he looked around. Books were stacked neatly on his desk, untouched, and Xander briefly noted a pile of paperwork gone entirely ignored. He lifted up the candle in its tray. The servants were surely beginning to put out the lamps across the castle, and he was happy for any kind of light he could find.

Straightening his back, he left the bedroom and closed the door behind him, wincing as the wood made a louder sound than he intended. It didn’t seem as though Father had been gone long, and there was only one other place he could be. With soft footsteps, he made his way to his father’s study, noting the strange lack of life in the hall. He supposed they were all busy elsewhere with the preparations, but it was still concerning to be completely alone. Anxiety crawled up his chest, and he took a deep breath to calm himself down.

 A scream, low and strangled. 

He froze in place, just outside the study door. There was a scraping noise, like the sound of metal against stone, and the hall went quiet. Then, a laugh. A mad, unfamiliar laugh, and the candle slipped from Xander’s hands, brass clanking against the floor. His breath caught in his throat, and he quickly stamped out the fire with his boot and pressed himself against the wall. 

The door swung open, blocking him from view as if the darkness didn’t already. The hall filled with a sweltering miasma as a figure emerged, steps making no noise. Xander squeezed a hand over his face, trying to keep himself from coughing as they sunk back into the office, door closing behind them. His mind screamed at him to run, find help, something, but he found himself unable to move, shaking quietly as the murmurs of conversation rose behind him. 

It was impossible to tell what the figure was saying, voice an otherworldly apparition discordant in this realm. The other’s was quite clear, a disturbingly familiar nasally whine. 

“All that work for nothing! Well, at least we’ll have our war.” Zola? His heart sunk. What was going on? 

Xander took another deep breath, peering towards the doorknob. If he could just get a small glance, then… He shuffled over to the edge, gripping the knob and turning it slowly, slowly, not making a sound. It stuck, fully turnt, and he creaked open the door inch by inch, careful to stay out of sight. Steeling himself, he looked inside and went cold.

Blood pooled under the crumpled form of King Sumeragi, Bölverk buried in his back and his father looming over him. Xander clamped his hand over his mouth to keep himself from screaming as he stumbled back. The figure vaguely mumbled something about a rat, and he lurched into a run, ears ringing. The door slammed open with a shout. 

Magic crackled in the air, and he threw himself to the side, just barely avoiding the lightning strike. His fingers grasped at the wall, curling around a decorative lance and tearing it off its mount. He swung around and lunged right as the air sparked again. Catching Zola off-guard, Xander managed to graze his cheek, the mage recoiling with a growl. Zola grabbed the metal and discharged his magic, forcing him to drop the weapon as he fell to the floor with violent convulsions. 

Zola kneeled over the fallen prince, examining him with a pensive expression. With an “ah!”, he tugged the circlet from his hair and opened his tome, hand glowing as he reached forward. Xander gasped and clawed at the ground, trying to drag himself away, but Zola effortlessly held him down. 

“My apologies, Lord Xander.” he said, digging his fingers into the prince’s face. “I do hope you can forgive me.” Fire exploded under his skin and he screamed. 

* * *

“Ryouma… Wake up…” Mikoto whispered, lightly shaking her son’s shoulder. He groaned. “Ryouma, please.” Reluctantly, he shook away the exhausted haze in his mind. 

“Mmm… Mother? What’s wrong?” he said, taking in her grim expression. 

“Get dressed and pack everything you can. Quickly now, we don’t have much time.“ she said and left the room to wake the rest of his siblings. Dread rising in his chest, he pulled himself out of bed and quietly followed her orders. Hinoka’s confused exclamation sounded from across the hall, quickly silenced. 

Soon, everyone was gathered in the hall, clutching bags and looking at each other with worried eyes. Mikoto ushered them to follow her, refusing their questions for later and guiding them towards a common room. With a light brush like that off the wind, a figure appeared out of the darkness. 

"We’ve located the passage you mentioned, Your Majesty.” a ninja said, Ryouma recognizing the voice as Kaze’s. Startled, Takumi jumped behind him and reached out to grab his arm on impulse, before quickly pulling away. If it were any other situation, Ryouma would’ve chuckled. 

Kaze motioned for them to follow him, the group eventually finding itself staring blankly at a wall. He ran a finger down the edge of the wood paneling, tracing the imperceptible line down to the border, until he found a switch. With a soft click, the door slid open, golden light from their lantern outlining the edge of a worn and cracked stone passageway. 

“This way.” he said, closing the entrance behind them. The tunnel itself was fairly straightforward; there were no twists or turns, no surprises. Something about the way the shadows fell over it, however, was ominous, as though the passage was an endless stretch they’d never escape. Their hurried footsteps echoed back and forth, building an anxious cacophony as they descended deeper underground, and the group eventually found themselves near Nohr’s marketplace. 

“What’s going on?” Takumi whispered. He was immediately shushed, Kaze peering over the area in irritation. 

“Looks like they’ve already evacuated.” he said, sinking back down and directing them towards a side corridor. “We have less time than we thought.” Not a single soul drifted through the area, dead silent except for the occasional splash of water nearby. Ryouma swallowed, eyes darting around from where he followed in the back. Kaze gave the area around them one last look, then led them into another passageway. 

They emerged in an alley near the edge of Windmire, Kaze quietly replacing the crate that hid it from sight. Similarly to the market, there were no pedestrians walking the streets. Instead, there were soldiers posed upon every road and conceivable exit. Thankfully, none were near them, and Kaze directed the group towards the outer wall, where a hole big enough to slip through was hidden behind a bunch of rocks. 

 He dug away the makeshift cover and helped Mikoto through first, then Sakura, followed by Hinoka. Takumi gave it a nervous look, but Ryouma insisted he go first, half worried that he would get stuck. He gazed at the soldiers stationed across the wall, dutifully scanning the area for… something. Suddenly, he heard a shout from nearby, Kaze looking up with a similarly horrified look. 

A thief dashed through the alley, sparing them no second glance as the clanking of metal indicted he was being followed. Kaze shoved Ryouma through as quickly as he could, watching the edge of the buildings for the first guard. Right as they turned the corner, Kaze disappeared after him, soldiers barely noticing the flash of green. 

“Stop right there!” they yelled from the other side, noticing their escape route. 

“Saizo and Kagero are waiting for us nearby. We have to hurry!” Kaze said, leading them away as the sound of alarm rose in volume behind them. They rushed into the woods, Hinoka only screaming a little as arrows flew at them and barely missed. They rendezvoused with the other ninjas quickly, who ushered them into carriages they had prepared ahead of time. A sizable crowd of Nohrian guards followed them. 

“I don’t understand! Why are they attacking us?” Sakura cried. 

“Stand back.” Mikoto said, reaching her spirit deep into the earth, the dragon’s blood running through her veins awakening as she tore open a fissure in the ground behind them. She climbed in the carriage. “Go. Now.” They sped off, the confused yells of the Nohrians disappearing into the distance behind them. The siblings shared a similar look, horror passing over their faces in varying degrees. The queen slouched in her seat and placed her head in her hands. Ryouma gulped. 

“Mother,” he said, “what’s going on?” She lifted her head, looking her family in the eyes. 

“I had a vision.” she said, choking down a sob. “And we are no longer welcome in Nohr.” Silence. And then Hinoka spoke. 

“What do you mean, ‘no longer welcome’?" 

"King Sumeragi is dead.”

* * *

Xander drifted back to consciousness slowly. His head pounded to his heartbeat, and he distantly wondered if he had somehow gotten a concussion. 

'I was… visiting Father, and then…’ Blank. Faintly, he was aware of an itching sensation coating his skin, and he moved to curl his fingers around his arm. A twitch. 

“Ah, are you awake?” a nasally voice spoke. It could be no other than Zola. His heart leapt into his throat and he choked. _Zola_. Sumeragi’s broken and bloodied form, crumpled on the ground, flashed into his mind as everything swept through him at once. A figure and a voice. Zola, chasing him. Zola, pinning him down and- 

He screamed. Or rather, he tried to scream, but only managed a strangled squawk. 

“Hush!” Zola said, clamping a hand down on his beak. Beak? Oh no. Oh no no no no _no_ \- “Do you want to be caught? I don’t think you do! So be quiet!” Zola struggled to hold the hysterical swan in his arms as he thrashed against him, wings flapping wildly. “Really now-mpf!” Xander smacked Zola in the face. “I’m trying to help you here!” Whack. He groaned. 

Zola rushed out into the gardens, night air sticky from the earlier rain, and quickly searched the lines of trees for the telltale shine of a magical barrier. There, between two oak trees, lay a hidden pond surrounded by mysterious ruins, older than the castle itself. Magic rippled around them as they crossed through, moonlight glistening on the water. 

Zola promptly released Xander and stepped back, watching quietly as he was enveloped in a strange glow. Xander was seething, soaked to the bone and shivering as he stumbled out of the water, human again. 

“Now, I can explain-” Zola started. 

“You… What the hell did you do to me?” Xander said, wearing an expression that would’ve killed any other man. 

“Listen to me carefully.” Zola said. “You were never meant to be involved in this, and now you’re in grave danger. If Anakos finds you… well…” He grinned sardonically. “As far as he’s concerned, you’re dead now, and I’m going to do my best to keep it that way. You are going to stay here, hidden and out of sight.” Xander opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted. “And don’t even think about leaving, because you will be caught. Ah, but you don’t look like you’re listening…” He hummed. “I figured this cloaking barrier wouldn’t be enough. I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of turning you into a swan." 

"You did what?!" 

"My apologies. It was a snap decision.” he said with a crooked smile. Xander gaped at him, horrified. “This place has a talent for revealing the truth, but once the moonlight leaves the water, you’ll just turn back into a swan. Should be enough incentive to keep you here, I think…" 

"How _dare_ you!” Xander snapped and lunged for the dark mage. Zola sidestepped away, smirking grimly as the prince recoiled from the darkness. 

“Ah, and be careful not to stray too far. Magic has its limits, after all.” he said. The grin fell from his face. “This is for your own good. I do hope you can forgive me.” He turned and left, the barrier rippling quietly behind him. Frozen, Xander watched as his back disappeared from sight, shivering quietly as the cold seeped into his skin, water mixing with the night air. A frog croaked, drawing his attention downwards to his feet. It stared at him with glassy eyes, wet skin lustrous in the moonlight. It croaked again, as though to ask him what was wrong, then, feeling self-conscious under his gaze, hopped away. 

Zola squeezed the circlet in his hand as he creaked open the door. He quickly rehearsed his lie in his head, steeling himself for Iago’s wrath. Said man turned to face him silently, face still and eyes glassy as Anakos’s puppets often were. His eyes lowered to the regalia he clutched so close to his chest. 

“Where’s the body,” he said, voice flat and unreadable. 

“Blown to smithereens!” Zola chirped with the practiced enthusiasm of a professional actor, _which he was_ , he reminded himself as Iago’s face contorted in fury. An overwhelming success. 

“You _idiot_!” he screeched. Zola’s flinch wasn’t entirely fake. “You ruined a perfectly good weapon!” Iago murmured to himself in varying tones. “I should kill you already… I should kill you! It might make you more competent!” He stopped, suddenly finding his composure. “But controlling the king alone is plenty of work. You’re lucky; the great Anakos is feeling merciful today.” Zola released a breath he hasn’t noticed he’d been holding. 

“T-thank you, sir!” he said with a stiff bow. Iago held out his hand, silently motioning for the crown he had. He carefully handed it over, watching as the sorcerer turned it in his hands. 

“Your mistake is forgiven. After all, you’ve provided us with a valuable opportunity.” He glanced at the fallen form of King Sumeragi, mouth curving into a grin. “Imagine, the crown prince goes missing, and the Hoshidans flee. Why they run, Nohr does not yet know. But they find the scattered remains of dear Xander, and who else could’ve done it but them?” And we have our war, Zola finished silently, as though we didn’t already. 

“Zola, find the guards. Tell them what has transpired here; the assassination of Nohr’s crown prince by Hoshido’s king.” Iago ordered, grabbing the body to take with him back to Anakos. “As for his corpse… You are an illusionist, aren’t you? Take care of it.” He tossed him the circlet and teleported away in one fluid motion, leaving Zola alone in the room. He huffed, ignoring the way his hands shook as he reached for the doorknob. Analyzing the size of the bloodstain left by the king… Yes, any old servant would do.


	5. The Pond's Edge

The fire flickered weakly in his hand, suffocating in the darkness. Leo cupped a palm around the flame in an attempt to shield it from the cold, but an icy breeze swept it away, leaving him shivering and alone in the hallway.

“Xander? Elise? Camilla?” he called weakly, breath misting in the air. He could feel his joints going stiff as frost crept up his back. “T-Takumi?” Heavy footsteps shook the ground behind him, and without a second thought, he broke into a sprint.

His entire body numb, he couldn’t make it far, but adrenaline pushed him forward until he hit a dead end. He desperately felt along the wall, searching for some kind of escape as the monster approached. He turned around to face an axe swinging down on his head and he screamed.

“Leo!” A voice tore him from his sleep. With a gasp, he shot up on the couch, the book he had been reading last night landing uselessly on his lap. He grimaced. He hadn’t had visions like that since…

He shook his head. Now was not the time.

Camilla and Elise were approaching him at an alarming rate, worry etched into their features. He stood up quickly, hurriedly running a hand through his hair in an attempt to fix his appearance.

“Uh, Camilla! I was just-” She nearly knocked him back onto the couch as she squeezed him, Elise letting out a soft sob behind her. “…Sister?”

“Oh thank the gods, you’re…” she murmured to herself. Leo was stiff, unsure how to respond as she sharply pulled away and looked him over, grip crushing on his wrists. “You weren’t in your room. They didn’t hurt you, did they?” He shook his head.

“No, I’m fine. Who’s they-”

“Why do you sneak out like that?” Elise said, shaking. “We thought you were d-de…” Camilla released him to comfort Elise, and with horror he noticed Xander’s circlet clutched in her fingers. She noticed him go pale and sat him down quickly, uncertain how to explain.

“Sometime last night, we don’t know when, there was a… Something happened, and…” She swallowed. “Xander’s been killed, Leo.” He was silent for a long time, and Camilla was worried he’d faint.

“What?” he choked out. She gave him a somber look and wrapped him in her arms again, gently rocking back and forth. Elise soon joined them. Blearily, he noticed Camilla’s sleeve getting wet and recoiled in embarrassment, but she held tight and refused to let him go. She was never letting either of them out of her sight again.

“Sakura’s gone. All of them are gone.” Elise mumbled at his side. He frowned. When he focused, he could sense the remains of a dark, evil magic in the castle. It was no wonder his sleep was disturbed; he hadn’t felt anything that foul since Father finally got rid of his scheming advisors all those years ago. But they were dead, which could only mean…

“Why,” he asked, disposition freezing over.

“They think that… Well, from the situation…” She averted her eyes, the growing anger in his gaze unnerving as he backed away from them.

“They keep saying they did it! There’s no way they did it!” Elise said, “Leo, you know they could never do something like this!”

“Maybe not, but perhaps they know someone who could.” 

“Leo, you don’t honestly think-” He slapped away Camilla’s hand.

“Those Hoshidans have been planning this the entire time!” he yelled. Elise pushed him away.

“Hey, Sakura would never-” Camilla pulled them apart roughly, scowl on her face.

“Don’t you dare start this now.” she said. Leo bit his lip and looked away, Elise’s eyes beginning to water again. She shook her head in distress. “…Father wants to talk to us. We should go.”

“He’s better now?” Leo asked. Camilla shrugged.

The family gathered themselves the best they could, the absence of Xander leaving an uncomfortable and prominent gap. The castle was in complete disarray now, projects abandoned the moment they began and servants aimlessly drifting through the halls as they cleaned up wilted flowers and wasted decorations. Elise was almost hoping to see Xander beside their father’s throne, smiling and telling them it was a joke, as uncharacteristic and horrible as it would be, but when the doors to the throne room creaked open, there was nothing. Nothing but their father, gazing down at him from his throne with a cold stare instead of meeting them face-to-face.

He cleared his throat to speak. The air went still.

“I’m certain by now you understand what’s happened,” he said. They nodded slowly. “And you realize we now have no choice but to declare war on Hoshido for the murder of our crown prince.” Elise gasped.

“But wait! They wouldn’t-”

“Silence!” he yelled, the power of his voice shaking them to their very souls. The siblings flinched, Elise looking ready to cry again. King Garon took a deep breath. “We have no other options. Camilla,” she tore her eyes from her little sister. “We’ll be having a war meeting tomorrow morning to discuss our strategy. I expect you’ll be there.” He waved his hand to dismiss them, but was interrupted.

“Wait!” Leo said, “What about the funeral?” King Garon went still.

“Plans are in the making. I’ll announce the date at a later time.” he said. His tone indicated the end of that discussion, and they shuffled away quietly. The doors slammed shut behind them.

“What about Sakura?” Elise sniffed, “Are you gonna have to-” Camilla pulled her into a hug.

“I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but everything’s going to be alright.” she said. “Father’s just upset right now. He’ll be better soon…” Leo gave the doors one last look before turning and walking away.

“Where are you going?” Camilla asked.

“Back to my room. I didn’t sleep well last night.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. “If anyone needs me, don’t.”

* * *

The first thing Xander noticed about being a swan was that feathers were really itchy. For some reason, they always felt as though they were ruffled the wrong way, and no matter how many times he smoothed them down with his beak, the discomfort would not leave. Hence why he was now angrily biting at his skin, to the confusion of every animal in the general vicinity.

“What are you looking at?” he growled at a nearby frog. That thing had been watching him all night, acting like they had something to say, but wasn’t nearly confident enough to actually say it. Or hold his glare, it seemed, as they hopped away in alarm. He lamented his dwindling sanity.

Of course it wouldn’t respond. It was a frog. They probably weren’t even staring either, they just happened to be there, and oh he was really starting to lose it-

There they were again, gazing at him with beady, grey eyes. With a scowl, he lifted his wing and swatted them into the water. They yelped.

“Ow! What was that for?” they said. Xander blinked.

“Ah. You can talk.” he said dumbly. The frog actually pouted.

“Well, yes! You can too, can’t you?” Xander thought for a moment.

“When you put it that way…” he mumbled. This was a fever dream. Or a dying dream, more likely, after the events of last night- “My apologies for snapping and hitting you.”

“I suppose it’s alright. Just don’t do it again.” they said. “Oh, but where are my manners? I’m Laslow, nice to meet you!” He gave him a bow of respect, although it was hard to tell, considering he was a frog.

“It’s nice to meet you, Laslow. I’m-”

“Hold on. I think I can guess,” he said. Xander stared in confusion. “Let’s see… Tall? Check. Gorgeous blond? Check.” Xander flushed. “You must be… One of the princes, yes? I do believe I’ve seen you around before.”

“How did you-”

“There aren’t a lot of things to do here, so we like to keep a finger on the gossip in the castle,” he said, smiling, “Tell me, is it true that you’re planning on running off with a mysterious peasant girl?”

“What? No, of course not-”

“Called it!” he shouted into the lake. Irritated grumbling bubbled up from the water, and a disgruntled-looking otter rose from the depths.

“What would you know? It was probably just a lucky guess!” she said with scowl. He shrugged.

“This is Selena. I apologize for her unpleasantness.”

“ _My_ unpleasantness? You’ve probably just been bothering him!” she said, “I am truly sorry that you’ve had to put up with him.”

Xander blinked, “Uh.”

“See, you’re so horrible that he doesn’t want to talk to us anymore!”

“Selena, your eyes shine like the stars, but your voice screeches like a banshee.” She fumed.

“You-!” Xander sat down, folding his head into his wings and thinking deeply about the choices that lead him to this point. Suddenly, a thought struck him.

“How do you two know so much anyway?” he asked, interrupting their bickering. It’s not like animals take casual strolls around the castle, after all, and not many people took the time to relax in the gardens besides Leo, who mostly used it to practice his magic.

“We have a source.” they said. A crow cawed from above.

“Dare my mortal eyes deceive me? A swan, the noblest of birds, roosts yonder!” the bird said, swooping down and perching in front of him. He examined him sharply, Xander recoiling to avoid being poked by his beak. “Alas, this is no place for such a creature. Fly away, before my darkness consumes you!” 

“Hey Odin,” Laslow said, “got any news?” Odin tore his gaze away for a moment to gesture grandly.

“A terrible tragedy! Someone has found their place amongst the stars…” He dramatically wiped a tear from his eye.

“It wasn’t the purple-haired one, was it?” Selena said, “I like her.”

“‘Twas not the princess, but in fact, a king!” he said, “The proud Hoshidan King, killed in cold blood, and the Nohrian Prince soon after!”

“Wait, you saw all of that?” Xander said.

“Well, most of it. This castle really needs more windows.” He paused. “Alas, in my grim line of work-”

“Tell me more. What’s going on now?”

“Ah, Betrayal has sunk its sharp teeth into-”

“Hey, wait your turn!” Selena interrupted, “What was that about death?”

“In the cover of the darkness, the king was assassinated! The poor prince had merely been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and they had no choice but to-”

“I don’t think he’s dead.” Laslow said, Odin silently fuming at the constant interruption. He put effort into this, y'know? “Odin, did you see exactly what happened to him?”

“The darkness was my enemy that night! As was the weather.” he said. “I lost sight of him in the labyrinth halls of the castle.”

“Well, guess where he ended up? Right here!” Laslow announced, giving Selena a smug look. “And she slept right through everything!” She snarled and was about to retort when Odin interrupted her.

“ _Conspiracy_! So they’re lying!” He scanned the pond. “Where is he now? Has he fled? Proudly cast himself into exile with the promise of his kingdom’s redemption?”

“Hello,” Xander said, waving his wing in a way that he hoped looked like a greeting. Odin’s eyes lit up in excitement.

“Aha, I see! I can sense the dark magic flowing off you in sinister waves… Fascinating!” He leaned in. “I dabble in the forbidden arts myself.” Xander gave him a look. 

“You’re skeptical, I see. Go ahead, call upon my third eye.” he said.

“He means ask him to look for something. He can see it in his mind,” Laslow helpfully supplied.

“Can you… find someone named Ryouma?” he asked. Odin grimaced.

“I am not familiar with that moniker… Perhaps give me a description?” Xander frowned, thinking back to his childhood and the nicknames his siblings had come up with.

“He looks like a lobster,” he said, feeling Ryouma groan at him from wherever he was. Odin hummed.

“I see! Yes… Worry not, regal transfigurate, he is unharmed and well on his way home.” he said, nodding. Xander sighed.

“How about my family? Are they alright?” He was suddenly struck by the thought that there was something deeply wrong with his father, although the reason was lost to him.

“Distraught, but alright. If you like, I’ll keep an eye on them.” Xander nodded.

“Yes… Yes, that would be prudent…” He might be trapped, but now he had a way of knowing what was happening. As he curled up in the grass, Selena demanded the details she had been waiting for, the trio chattering playfully the rest of the afternoon. Their antics could be exhausting, but at least, waiting away this war, he would never be bored.


	6. The Sun at Their Backs

_Dear Elise,_

_I’m not sure if we’ll ever see each other again, or if this letter will even reach you, but I must speak my mind. It feels like just yesterday we were here,_ _sharing tea in the gardens. The flowers don’t look as happy without you._

_The w_ _orld seems so different now. Hoshido has closed off its borders and people loudly vocalize their hatred of Nohrians in the street. Ryouma refuses to leave his room. He won’t talk to anyone, not even our mother. I’m worried, but Hinoka and Takumi aren’t coping much better. They spend dawn until dusk in the training yards, practicing maneuvers I hope they never have to use._

_There’s so much anger and bitterness; everything we worked for, shattered in_ _one night. But I’ll never forget the times we shared, or anyone else in Nohr. I’m sorry this happened, for both of us._

_With love,_

_Sakura_

The afternoon casted a somber glow over Sakura’s room as she sealed the letter. Every room in Castle Shirasagi seemed darker these days, more empty, and she wasn’t entirely sure it was just the loss of their king. An essential part of Hoshido had been torn away, and it was only a matter of time until it crumbled.

She gracefully signed her name (Elise would recognize it by now) and handed it off to her retainer, Subaki.

“You do understand what I am tasking you with?” she asked. As important as it was, she wasn’t going to risk her friends’ lives over an impossible task. “Are you sure you can deliver this across the border?" 

"Of course, Lady Sakura!” he said, “I’m not going to fly all the way there, you know. I have connections.” Tan, eyepatch-wearing, obnoxiously-smirking connections, but connections nonetheless.

“Alright, if you say so. Please be careful.” He nodded.

“This task will be handled with only the utmost perfection,” he said, giving her a reassuring grin, “you can be sure of that!” She smiled back, and without another word, he was gone.

Well, she certainly hoped he would wait until morning to set out, at least.

Lately, it felt as though Subaki and Hana were the only ones she could trust. If her siblings knew, they would almost certainly be angry with her for ‘fraternizing with the enemy’, as though they didn’t also have friends on the opposite side. They were all in the exact same predicament, and yet…

Sometimes, she wondered how they could even stand it.

* * *

The yard was filled with the sound of steel clashing against steel, all coming from one source: the Hoshidan royals, locked in an intense duel. Hinoka had the upper hand when it came to the naginata, but Takumi was clever and, surprisingly, held his own. Their retainers watched intently from the sidelines, not even Hinata daring to make a sound.

Hinoka always rushed forward with reckless abandon, and it reflected in her fighting style. A flurry of slashes, and Takumi was back on the defensive, just barely keeping up. But one attack went too far, held too long. Her side was open.

Takumi lunged. Hinoka dodged, forcing herself closer and knocking away his naginata. One well-placed sweep and he was on his back, weapon perched precariously under his chin.

Hinoka grinned victoriously and laughed as Takumi’s expression contorted bitterly.

“Now’s your chance!” Hinata yelled, “She’s off guard!” Oboro elbowed him in the stomach.

Hinoka offered her hand, which Takumi reluctantly took, and pulled him up.

“This is stupid,” he mumbled.

“What was that?”

“Why do I need to learn the naginata? I’m an archer!”

“Exactly. You need a backup plan if you get caught close-range.” Takumi rolled his eyes.

“ _If_ I got caught close-range, it wouldn’t actually matter, because I won’t be carrying this around.” he said. Hinoka huffed indignantly, but then smirked.

“You know what? You’re totally right,” she said. Her naginata dropped to the ground. “A good lesson in hand-to-hand is what you need. En garde!” And with a muffled 'gak!’ from Takumi, the cycle continued.

Several bruises later, Hinoka finally let him go to practice with Oboro instead. After the incident a week ago, he was officially banned from training with the Fuujin Yumi while other people were present, so he was forced to settle for a regular bow. After a while, though, he realized that maybe Hinoka was right. Not about him getting caught up close, no, he knew better than that, but he was technically vulnerable to other archers. It’s not like he looked out for them.

“Hey Setsuna,” he called, quickly devising a plan in his head. Setsuna sat up from the patch of grass she had been cloud-watching on. “Can you fire an arrow at me?”

“Okay…” Setsuna said, readying an arrow.

“Absolutely do not do that, Setsuna!” Hinoka said.

“Alright…” She lowered her bow.

“What are you doing?” she hissed. 

“I’m gonna catch it and fire it back.”

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“You’re the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!” he said. “Setsuna, shoot me!”

“Don’t you dare!” As Setsuna stared at the two in confusion, Azama leaned over and whispered in her ear.

“I say do it. Let natural selection take its course.” he said. She smiled.

“Okay!” she chirped. An arrow whisked through the air. Hinoka threw herself into Takumi, tackling him to the ground. He made an irritated noise, pushing her away as the arrow sailed uselessly into the woods.

“I could’ve caught that!” he said.

“Yeah, with your face.” she said. "What were you thinking?“ He frowned.

"I could’ve caught that.” She sighed and pulled him to his feet. 

“I think I’m done for the day.” she said, gesturing to her retainers. “You can stay if you want.” At least without Setsuna, he wouldn’t try something like that again.

“You’re leaving already? It’s only late afternoon!” Takumi said. She shrugged.

“I’m kind of hungry anyway.”

“Oh, me too!” Setsuna chimed in.

“Hunger is a mere illusion, my friends.” Azama said. Everyone ignored him.

“Are you even taking this seriously?” Takumi said, crossing his arms and frowning.

“Excuse me? You just tried to shoot yourself.”

“Y-yeah, but at least I’m trying something!” he stuttered, “Hinata, spar with me!” He was done with archery for today.

“But I'm hungry, too!” Hinata whined. Oboro smacked him upside the head.

Hinoka's group made their way inside, splitting their separate ways as Hinoka carried an extra tray down to Ryouma’s room.

“Ryouma?” she called. “I brought dinner.” He hadn’t ever answered her, but the food she left would always be gone when she checked the next day. At this point, it was silly of her to expect any kind of reaction, but she refused to leave her brother suffering alone.

After a minute of silence, she sighed.

“I’ll just leave this here, then…” she mumbled. Suddenly, a crash and a muffled scream sounded from behind the screen. “Ryouma?”

He tore open the screen door, almost ripping it, looking for all its worth like a caveman who had just discovered fire. His wild eyes locked onto Hinoka.

“Hinoka! Hinoka, my incredible sister…” he rambled. She wasn’t sure what kind of face she was making as he grabbed at her shoulders, but it wasn’t a pleasant one. 

“When was the last time you bathed?” she said. She mentally smacked herself. That was not how you greeted your brother after seeing him for the first time in over two months.

“Bathing is for the weak!” he proclaimed proudly.

“Well, that smell certainly isn’t…” she mumbled.

“But that’s not important! What’s important is…”

“What? What’s important?”

"I have a plan! I have a glorious, wondrous plan!” He almost seemed to cackle. “Pack your bags, Hinoka, we depart in the morning!”

“ _What?_ What’s going on?" she said. Had he lost it?

"You’re right! We should bring Sakura and Takumi, too. I’m sure they miss them!” _What the hell?_

“Ryouma, slow down! You’re not making any sense!" 

"Yes, go inform them of the good news!” And with that, he skipped (skipped?) away to presumably cause chaos somewhere else.

“Can you at least… comb your hair first? Or something?” she called, but if he heard her, he wasn’t interested in listening. She huffed and ran after him.

* * *

Several broken dishes later, Hinoka had managed to gather her siblings together in the dining room. Her glare evened out, Ryouma smiling wildly beside her and Takumi woefully rubbing his cheek. Sakura observed the scene with understandable confusion.

“Big brother, are you feeling better?” she said, deciding to handle the situation one step at a time.

“The sun has never shined so bright upon us!” he proclaimed. She smiled.

“That’s good. I’m glad, but is there a reason you wanted to talk to us?” she said. Takumi groaned

“You’re not going to believe this…” he mumbled.

“Yes, this-!” Ryouma slammed a scroll onto the table. Takumi hissed at the damage done to what was surely a valuable, ancient document. “-will be the answers to our prayers!”

“What prayers?” Hinoka asked.

“Excuse me, 'what prayers’?” he said, “Do not tell me you’ve forgotten entirely about your beau!”

“What’s a 'beau’?”

“I think it’s a Nohrian term for 'very special person’.” Sakura said.

“Oh.” Her face flushed. “ _Oh_.”

“Wait, Ryouma, are you saying-” Sakura was cut off.

“Yes! I’ve found a way to reunite us. We can live in peace together once more!” he said. Takumi groaned.

“He’s completely lost it. He keeps rambling about this 'Rainbow Sage’…”

“Well, if anyone would know how to safely get us in and out of Nohr, it’s him,” Ryouma said.

“Wait, wait, hold on a sec,” Hinoka interrupted, “you want us to go into Nohr?”

“Well, yes. I don’t think we have much of a choice.”

“Uh, yeah, we do? It’s called 'not doing it’!” Takumi said.

“I don’t think that’s really safe, big brother,” Sakura said.

“That’s quitter talk. We’ll be fine!” He unrolled the map he brought with him. “If I remember correctly, the Rainbow Sage lives here-” He pointed to an island. “-which is just outside of Nohr. So we would only have to deal with crossing the sea, not actually infiltrating the country.”

“That’s still bad, y'know. They have a navy,” Takumi said.

“If we set off from a neutral territory, they’ll just think we’re merchants,” Ryouma assured them. He pulled out another document. “I’ve been working on a route for weeks-”

“Oh my god, you can’t be serious! He’s crazy!” Takumi turned to Hinoka for support, but she was silent. “…Hinoka?”

“…Actually, that doesn’t sound too bad.” Sakura said, looking thoughtful.

“Sakura, no! Why?”

“I guess if this is what you really want, I’ll help,” Hinoka said. Takumi shrilled. “But I’m just going with you. I’m not going to 'elope’ with Camilla or whatever weird idea you have in your head.” Ryouma grinned.

“Then it’s settled,” he said, “We set out at dawn!”

“B-but you can’t just leave like that!” Takumi said.

“Don’t worry, Takumi,” Sakura said, giving him an encouraging smile, “we trust you can handle everything in our absence.”

“Yeah, you can do it!” Hinoka said. Takumi’s eyes uncertainly shifted between them, then he sighed.

“…Okay. But you better come back.”

* * *

It was a testament to her parental skill that Mikoto knew to intercept them at the gate, despite everyone trying their hardest to keep it a secret. 

“Really, I would’ve appreciated a warning before three-fourths of my children ran off,” Mikoto said, eyeing them sternly. Sakura was already in the middle of a large apology.

“How did you find out?” Hinoka asked.

“Really? With the way Ryouma was screaming earlier?” Ryouma chuckled awkwardly. “Did you honestly expect me not to notice?”

“We’re sorry! We really are!” Sakura said.

“But we won’t be staying,” Ryouma finished.

“Yes, I understand,” Mikoto said. Sadness flashed across her features for a moment, but were quickly replaced by a gentle smile. “I knew you would leave eventually. It’s not right to keep you two separated.”

“Thank you, Mother.” Ryouma returned her smile.

“The path may be treacherous, but if you persist on it, you will find your happiness… That is what I’ve seen.” She drew him into a hug. “Please be careful, Ryouma.”

“We will. Don’t worry, Mother.” One by one, she embraced each of them, and was about to say goodbye, when shouting echoed from behind them.

“Hey! Wait for me!” Takumi yelled, running towards them at top speed. “I’m coming, too!”

“I knew he’d change his mind,” Sakura said.

“There’s no way you’re leaving me behind!” he huffed, out of breath.

“We’re happy to have you,” Ryouma said, grinning.

“Just don’t tire yourself out too much. We haven’t even left yet,” Hinoka said.

“You should get going,” Mikoto said, “the sun’s beginning to rise.”

“Right.” Ryouma nodded and motioned to his group. “To the Rainbow Sage!”

“One moment,” Mikoto said, seeming to remember something. She smiled at Takumi and pulled out a doll. “For the road.”

Takumi flushed and snatched it from her, trying to ignore the laughter of his siblings.

“Have a safe journey!” she called, waving goodbye as she watched their backs disappear over the horizon, the sun at their backs. 


	7. In the Fields

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> really, this should’ve been up a while ago, but… action scenes are haaard!

Despite the chaos occurring right outside its walls, Izumo was as serene and beautiful as ever, its people welcoming them enthusiastically at the gates. Ryouma and his siblings were given the five-star treatment, courtesy of Archduke Izana himself. Sakura and Hinoka seemed to enjoy themselves well enough, although Takumi spent most of the night in his room, avoiding people. Ryouma tried to absorb the laid-back atmosphere, but found himself too anxious about the journey ahead to truly relax.

Nevertheless, they needed to leave the next morning, so whether or not they had fun didn’t mean much. They gathered at the gates, stomachs full and carrying perhaps too many supplies, the people waving them goodbye. Hinoka found herself wondering just how much free time Izumo had to give them such a send-off.

“Farewell, my fellow nobility! I do hope you enjoyed yourself in our lovely kingdom. Ehehe!” Izana said.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Ryouma said, bowing politely, “You have given us more than we could have possibly expected.”

“Oho, don’t even think twice about it! Consider it my apology for being unable to attend your wedding.” Ryouma gave the archduke a look.

“That’s… fine. It was canceled, anyway,” he said.

“No, no! I insist! After all, I would’ve made it something to remember!” Izana said, “I’ll definitely attend the next one.”

“There will be a next one?” Ryouma’s eyes lit up. Of course! Izana was a famous diviner.

“Naturally! In fact, I got a message from above just yesterday.” Izana stilled for a moment in concentration. “ _Persevere,_ _and all you desire will be yours…_ ” He grinned. “Wonderfully vague, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…” Ryouma sighed. It didn’t sound much different than what Mother said. And why would he ever think of giving up to begin with?

“Well, we can’t stand around and chat all day!” Hinoka said, “The daimyo of Mokushu is expecting us soon.”

“Yes, don’t let me keep you!” Izana said. Ryouma nodded.

“Yeah, we should be going,” he said. Izana and the rest of Izumo gave them one last enthusiastic farewell, and the Hoshidan siblings were back on the road again. The archduke watched them fade into the distance in contemplation.

“Should I have mentioned the part about the ‘immeasurable suffering’?” Izana hummed in thought. “Nah, they’ll be fine.”

Travelling through Hoshido had never been particularly dangerous. Although violent crime had recently increased, the roads were still peaceful. They travelled mostly unhindered, and reached Mokushu before sundown.

The village seemed eerily quiet, as though it had been abandoned. It was a little concerning, but Ryouma quickly came to the conclusion the effect was intentional. After all, they were the famous Mokushujin ninja! They were probably all out on missions, or maybe they just had a habit of hiding even when they were off-duty. Mystery was a part of their image, he was sure.

“Is this… the right place?” Sakura asked, shifting towards her siblings slightly, “It’s kind of… creepy.”

“Yeah, this feels weird. Why haven’t they greeted us yet?” Takumi said. As if on cue, a ninja appeared behind him.

“Greetings,” the ninja said. Takumi almost jumped fifty feet in the air. “The daimyo apologizes for the inconvenience, but asks that you meet him in our… hideout, you could call it, nearby. He is… dealing with some local affairs.”

Ryouma nodded.

“We understand. I’m sure he’s a very busy man.” Takumi shot him a look, but didn’t comment.

Their “hideout” turned out to be a network of caves in the forest nearby. Ryouma followed the ninja without a second thought, everyone else only hesitating for a moment before following him.

Yep, Takumi thought, just go right into the claustrophobic, dark caves. This wasn’t fishy at all. There were an endless amount of twists and turns, memorized through years of practice on their guide’s part. It would’ve been impossible to find their way through without them. Another good sign, Takumi was sure.

He could admit it, sometimes he got a little paranoid. But he was pretty sure his anxiety was justified here; if you listened closely, you could actually hear tortured screams. Joy!

“Ah, you made it!” Daimyo Kotaro said, pulling him from his thoughts. He turned to attention, finding his brother and Kotaro already conversing. “I’m sorry for dragging you all out here. I had some business to take care of.”

“Yes, your ninja explained everything,” Ryouma said, “We appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to accommodate us.” He paused. “Although, was it necessary for you to talk to us directly?”

“Yes,” Kotaro said.

A moment of silence.

“Er, are you going to ex-”

“Anyway, I’d like to hear more about this mission of yours!” he interrupted, “You said you needed to reach the ports.”

Ryouma gave him a look.

“Well, we’re going to board a merchant ship and try to cross the ocean border,” he said.

“Ah, that’s an interesting plan. Do you truly think you can manage an attack on Nohr with such a small team?”

“That’s not our intention,” Ryouma said. The daimyo contemplated this.

“Then what is?” he said.

“I’m afraid I can’t say.” Kotaro hummed.

“I see,” he said, smirk growing on his face. “I’d like to apologize, we didn’t prepare any rooms for you.” This puzzled Ryouma. The ninja who guided them shifted in the shadows behind the siblings.

“I don’t-?”

“Trust me, you won’t be needing them.”

Hinoka tackled Ryouma to ground with a shout as a shuriken whisked overhead, embedding itself neaty in the stone wall. Sakura screamed as Takumi took aim into the darkness and fired.

 Silence, then a thump. Hinoka glared at the daimyo.

“An assassin?” she said. “What is this?” She pushed herself to her feet and unstrapped her naginata, waiting for Ryouma to recover.

“Don’t make another move,” Kotaro said, “you’re surrounded.”

“How dare you!” Ryouma said, wiping dirt from his face.

“Drop your weapons. Now.”

Hinoka was still for a moment, then reluctantly released her naginata. Ryouma followed with his katana. Kotaro shot a look at Takumi. Face contorted in anger, he didn’t move.

“I said ‘now’. They don’t teach you how to listen in the palace?” Takumi almost growled, but Sakura gave him a terrified stare.

Ryouma subtly nudged his side. Takumi eyes fell on him for a moment, then to the ground. The scabbard on the ground, he noticed, wasn’t Raijintou’s.

He finally dropped the Fuujin Yumi.

“I thought Mokushu was a neutral territory,” Ryouma said. “Does that usually involve assassination of foreign royalty?”

“We haven’t been neutral since Nohr and Hoshido started fraternizing. We made some nice contacts in that dank old kingdom,” he said. “And then, of course, you royals had to ruin it with your petty conflicts.”

“‘Petty’?” Takumi yelled, indignant. Hinoka gave him a “shut up, now” look. He grimaced and turned his head.

“And now you have the audacity to complain about political assassinations.” Kotaro smiled. “Truly, I have no pity for you dolled-up rats.”

He turned and waved his hand dismissively.

“Finish them.”

Hinoka pushed herself between the crown prince and her younger sibling as ninja closed in on them. Ryouma drew Raijintou with a snarl, electricity crackling in the air. With a single swipe, a shockwave forced them back and he charged the daimyo.

“You won’t stand in my way,” he said, face contorted in violent rage. Kotaro, shocked, turned and ran.

Hinoka, now with an opening, retrieved her naginata and lunged toward the ninja behind them, giving her other siblings time to fall back. Ryouma was basically a one-man army; he took out every enemy in his path in his pursuit with lightning strike after lightning strike. The residual static was almost painful.

He was angry, now.

Kotaro barely avoided another strike, panting almost imperceptibly. This was messier than he intended, although he supposed that was to be expected from the Hoshidan royal family. Regardless, he would never come to a conflict like this unprepared, and set his backup plan into motion.

Mokushu’s caverns made perfect prisons with their labyrinthian layout. Escape was impossible, but perhaps even more importantly, it was very easy to lay traps. With a smirk, Kotaro ducked into a side path.

Ryouma barely noticed the wire, even after he’d tripped it, but he was falling. With an “oof!”, his face met the soft dirt ground of a pitfall.

“Hey, these were supposed to have spikes in them!” Kotaro exclaimed, upset by Ryouma’s lack of mutilation. “What do I have to do to get some competent followers?”

Silently, Ryouma pulled himself up, wincing at the pain in his chest. Probably a broken rib, but he could fix that later. In one swift movement, he raised Raijintou and called another lightning strike. Kotaro gasped.

“Missed again, lobster boy,” he said, laughing.

“But I won’t!” Light flashed overhead, and Kotaro fell with a cry. Frantic footsteps approached, and his family surrounded the pit in concern.

“Are you alright down there, big brother?” Sakura called. Ryouma smiled.

“Mostly. I’ll let you make the final evaluation, though.”

“What do you want us to do with this guy?” Hinoka asked.

“I shot him in the leg!” Takumi added with no absence of pride.

“Er, tie him up. I’m sure he’s still dangerous like this.” Ryouma said.

“Actually, I have an idea. Pull me out.”

Hinoka lowered the handle of her naginata for him to grab and hoisted him up effortlessly. Takumi finished tying him up, and together, they threw Kotaro in the pit as he screamed curses at them.

“That should hold him up for a while,” Ryouma said. “Now, I don’t suppose anyone managed to memorize the way here, did they…?” They looked to each other nervously.

“I wasn’t really thinking about it…” Sakura said.

“I tried, but it was too complicated,” Takumi added.

Hinoka huffed in frustration, about to yell at something, but then noticed movement in the corner of her eye. Without a moment of hesitation, she pounced on the stray ninja.

“Thought you could sneak away, huh?” she said, blade embedded in the wall next to his head.

The ninja remained silent.

“There’s no point in staying quiet, y’know.” she said. “The Hoshidan Army’s on its way right now. If you help us, they might spare you.” She had intended it as a lie, but knowing their mother, she probably sent them reinforcements already. Benefits of divination, she supposed.

The ninja seemed to ponder this for a moment, but still didn’t speak.

Hinoka huffed. Mokushujin ninja were as well-trained as they say. Well, she had one last trick up her sleeve.

“Did I mention we have money? Lots of it?” The ninja gave her a deadpan look, as though to say, really, if I don’t care about saving my life, why would I care about money? Hinoka groaned.

“Should we throw him in the pit, too?” Sakura asked, finishing Ryouma’s treatment. Hinoka shrugged.

“Wait, the pit?” the ninja suddenly croaked. Oh no, that was the pit with the..!

“Yeah, the pit.”

That trap’s spikes were laced with one of their new poisons. If the fall didn’t kill you, the toxin would seep in, paralyze you, and burn your insides, resulting in a long, torturous death… or, that was the intention. Most people survive it, although they never recover.

Slowly wasting away, impaled, was probably worse than death, the ninja figured.

“On second thought, what was it you needed, again?” he said.

“Huh? Really?” Hinoka said. “Uh, directions out, please.” The ninja bowed.

“I’ll lead you to the exit. This way.” She looked back at her family, all seeming as confused as she was, shrugged, and followed him. The others came to the same conclusion, for the most part, and trailed after her.

The ninja kept his word, and the group found themselves standing under the night sky once again. Takumi never thought he would love the sight of trees so much. Without another word, the ninja disappeared.

“Well, Mokushu was a bust,” Hinoka said. “What now?”

“We set up camp,” Ryouma said. “Unless anyone has any better ideas?”

“Er, where?” Takumi said. “Somehow, I don’t feel comfortable sleeping near the village of assassins.”

“Yeah, he’s got a point,” Hinoka said.

“W-we can walk for an hour or so and see if we find anything?” Sakura offered. Ryouma nodded.

“That seems like our best option,” he said, adjusting his disheveled appearance. “Let’s get moving.”

* * *

A careful knock came from Camilla’s door, an even three taps. Quietly, she answered the door to Leo’s cold stare, and he wordlessly invited himself in, motioning to her desk. She cleared away the old documents and Leo unrolled a map across the top. Red marks were scribbled everywhere.

“You have new information?” she asked. Leo nodded.

“The Hoshidan Army is moving mostly as we predicted, with a few exceptions. Namely, here-” He pointed at the spots. “-and here.”

“Well, that’s good!” Camilla said. “Let’s tell Father right away.”

“Wait,” Leo said, “there’s a reason I came here first.” His expression was grim.

“What is it?”

“I heard from some contacts in Mokushu that there’s… an extremely small faction traveling to the ports.” Camilla looked confused.

“A small faction? How small?” she asked.

“Four people.” Leo thought for a moment. “The strongest in Hoshido, I’d say.”

Camilla was silent.

“I’m certain they’re planning on an invasion from the sea,” he said. “We should stop them before they get too far.”

“…Yes, I’ll handle it. No need to tell Father, it’s not important,” she said. Leo nodded.

“Of course not.”


	8. The Rainbow Sage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I CANT BELIEVE IT FINALLY HAPPENED. I DID IT  
> seriously i might take a long ass time but i WILL finish this fic. or at least write the scenes i've been dreaming of since the beginning. I'd like to see if i can finish this fic by its first anniversary, but... we'll see

_ Dear Sakura, _

_ I can’t believe it’s really you! I thought I’d never see you again? How did you manage to send me this letter? Niles wouldn’t tell me. _

_ I’d like to say things are better over here, but they’re not. Father’s always locked away in his office. The only time he ever leaves is to yell at us! Camilla and Leo are always away on some mission, and when they aren’t they won’t even talk to me.  _

_ I don’t know what’s wrong. It feels like everyone’s keeping secrets from me.  _ ~~_ Ever since Xander _ ~~

_ I hope you guys are doing okay. I’m trying, but… It feels like my family is falling apart. _

_ Hopeful Regards, _

_ Elise _

Sakura folded up the parchment and stuffed it in her pocket, sensing Ryouma approach from behind.

“The sea is lovely, isn’t it?” he said, joining her by the railing. “Even in times like these, the water is serene.”

Sakura looked out over the waves, gently parting as their ship glided forward, their salt lingering in every breeze that crossed the deck. There was something oddly calming in the endless emptiness and repetition of the ocean, she could admit, with only the distant orders of their captain and the occasional cry of a seagull breaking the silence.

“It is quite nice,” she said. “Are Hinoka and Takumi doing alright?” They were always horribly seasick on journeys like these.

“They’re below deck, in their cabins. Probably complaining loudly to each other.” They shared a laugh, then looked out over the sea again.

“It won’t be much longer now,” Ryouma said, looking calmer than he actually felt, “maybe two, three more days until we reach Notre Sagesse, then a few more to climb the mountain...” Sakura frowned. She’d need to write her reply soon. Hopefully she’d be able to warn Elise in time.

“Do you really think they’ll let us through?” Sakura asked.

“They won’t know we’re here,” Ryouma replied confidently, “I bet they won’t even bother to check this ship!”

“Nohrian wyverns spotted ahead!” a sailor called from the crow’s nest. The captain begn directing the crew for inspection.

“You were saying something, brother?” Sakura said cheekily. Ryouma grimaced.

“Let’s just head below deck.”

* * *

“Lady Camilla!” Beruka called, slowing her wyvern to a halt on the deck of Camilla’s warship, “Merchants approaching.”

“Ah, so this must be our anticipated guest, then?” she responded, not bothering to look up from her axe-polishing. “Seeing as all the other merchants stopped sailing through here months ago.” Beruka nodded.

“It appears exactly as Prince Leo described it, milady,” she said. Camilla smiled faux-sweetly, straightening her posture.

“Search the ship. You know what to look for.” Beruka nodded. “And when you find it, report back to me.”

* * *

Curiosity killed the cat, as they say, and to be fair, Ryouma had never actually seen the Nohrian border guards in action. There wasn’t much risk, as far as anyone was concerned, so when he asked if he could hide in the hold, nobody stopped him. Either that, or no one was willing to turn down the crown prince.

Perhaps more importantly, Ryouma had a hard time believing the Nohrians were truly as hateful now as the stories told him. After all, the soldiers had never been particularly cruel before. It had to be an exaggeration, he was sure, but he had to know for certain.

It wasn’t long before he heard dragon claws scrape against the deck, their rider’s boots pounding against the wood as they dismounted. Paper crinkled, then someone spoke.

“Nohr demands to know your purpose here, merchants,” the rider said, voice vaguely familiar.

“We are merely traveling to Notre Sagesse,” the captain replied, calm, “We don’t mean to trespass on Nohrian territory or involve ourselves in any trouble.”

“I see,” the rider said. Beruka, his mind finally supplied.  _ Beruka _ . A wave of dread suddenly fell over him. Beruka was Camilla’s retainer. What was she doing all the way out here?

“We have reason to believe you’re harboring Hoshidan soldiers,” she said, the dawning realization that he had underestimated Nohr’s intelligence network hitting Ryouma like a truck, “and I must search this ship. Now-”

“You can’t just-”

“We can,” Beruka said. “Unless you have something to hide, stand aside.”

Ryouma’s heart pounded. Everything was about to fall apart. He couldn’t just attack her; that would alert Nohr to their presence immediately (though, seems they already knew). If he stayed still, she’d round them all up and… 

He shoved open the grate, pulling himself onto the deck in one fluid movement.

“Wait!” he shouted. “You don’t have to search anything. I’m right here.”

Beruka stared at him with her usual, empty expression.

“I promise I mean Nohr no harm,” he said, keeping himself calm. “I merely wish to visit Notre Sagesse.”

“...Why,” she asked flatly.

“I have a dear friend I’d like to visit,” he said. “I plan on leaving as soon as I’m done, no ulterior motives.”

Beruka stared him down again, either attempting to discern his true motives or blanking out. Honestly, it was hard to tell with her.

“...I must speak with Lady Camilla,” she finally replied, mounting her wyvern. She eyed the crew. “Nobody leaves. If they do, I’ll notice.”

Ryouma didn’t move from where he was standing in the time Beruka was gone, only watching the skies in quiet anticipation. Soon, he heard the flapping of wings and the wyvern rider had returned, face still as impassive as it had been before. She looked him over one last time, then spoke.

“Lady Camilla says you may pass,” Beruka said. Ryouma’s eyes bulged.

“What?”

“And she has one other message.” She cleared her voice. “She says, ‘hope to see you again soon, sweeties.’” And with that, Beruka was gone again, leaving Ryouma and the crew in confused silence.

The captain took a moment to regain his bearings, then began directing the crew back into their standard operations. Ryouma shook his head, and decided what he needed right now was a good nap. Was Camilla on their side? But then, why stop them at all? 

“Hey, I heard wyverns up here!” Hinoka suddenly shouted, emerging from the cabins. “What happened?”

“Oh, nothing. We almost died,” Ryouma said. “By the way, Camilla says hi.”

* * *

“You found… nothing?” Leo repeated in disbelief.

“Absolutely nothing,” Camilla said, looking a little too pleased with herself.

“That’s impossible,” he said, “my intelligence clearly-”

“Well, they were wrong. It happens.” Camilla flipped her hair over her shoulder and hunched back over her desk. “Now please, brother, you aren’t making this work any more bearable.”

He huffed, but backed out of her room anyway, brow furrowed. Camilla hadn’t… had she?

He shook his head. He’d find out soon enough.

* * *

Notre Sagesse was a beautiful city. On the bright side, at least the Hoshidan royals got to appreciate it for two whole minutes before Ryouma dragged them up the mountain.

“Seriously, Ryouma?” Takumi groaned, “Shouldn’t we rest first, or at least get some supplies?”

“I can not rest until Xander and I are reunited once more!” he proclaimed. “And we already bought all the supplies we need before we left. Up the mountain we go!” Takumi groaned, louder this time.

“You know you’re not gonna convince him to stop anything while he’s like this,” Hinoka commented.

“I wanted to try,” Takumi said, “and that moment of hope hurt more than my legs do right now.”

Certainly, Mount Sagesse’s reputation was well-earned. The trip up took several days, even with Ryouma allowing only the smallest amount of rest. By the end of it, everyone was exhausted, out-of-breath, and in significant pain… except Ryouma, of course. Briefly, they wondered why they had bothered to tag along when he could clearly handle the journey all by himself.

“That’s it, the Sevenfold Sanctuary!” Ryouma announced. Nobody had the energy to sigh in relief. And of course, they also had to climb stairs to reach the door.

Takumi collapsed face-first on the ground.

“You know what?” he said, face muffled by dirt. “We don’t all have to be there to see him, how ‘bout you just go on ahead?”

“How can you give up when the door is literally right in front of you?” Ryouma asked. He was hoping his other siblings would take his side, but then Sakura took a seat next to him.

“We’re all exhausted, brother,” she said, “and everyone knows you’re just going to want to leave for Nohr the moment you finish speaking with the Rainbow Sage.”

“She has a point, actually,” Hinoka said, sinking to the ground.

“ _ Et tu _ , Hinoka?”

Hinoka shrugged, stretching out onto her back with a groan. She was going to feel this trip for the rest of her life.

“We’ll just set up camp here and rest, and you can go talk to the Rainbow Sage, okay?” Sakura said. Drat, he couldn’t turn down Sakura.

“I just want  you to know, I’m very disappointed in all of you,” Ryouma said. It was a s good of an approval as they were going to get, they supposed, as he slipped into the Sanctuary.

“So, who wants to set up the tent?” Sakura asked, trying to sound somewhat energetic.

“I can’t move anymore,” Takumi said. “I’m tired enough to just sleep on the ground.”

Hinoka, meanwhile, had already done just that.

* * *

Ryouma knew the legends. The climb was only half the challenge; now, he would be met with another task. Presumably a battle.

Soon enough, a mystic voice echoed in his head.

_ ‘Brave warrior...’  _ it whispered,  _ ‘if you wish to gain divine strength, then-’ _

“I don’t want divine strength,” Ryouma said. Somehow, he could feel the voice blink in confusion.

_ ‘You… don’t want the Rainbow Sage’s power,’  _ it repeated in disbelief. The crinkling of paper.  _ ‘Are you not the High Prince of Hoshido, Ryouma?’ _

“I am.”

_ ‘But it says right here ‘seeks the divine strength to defeat Nohr-’’  _ The voice paused for a moment.  _ ‘Ah, here’s the problem. This is the schedule for the wrong universe.’ _ More paper crinkling.  _ ‘Here you are! Yes, the Rainbow Sage means to meet with you immediately. Go on through.’ _

A screen in front of him slid open, the Rainbow Sage meditating cross-legged in the center of the room. Ryouma shrugged, then walked in and sat in front of him, waiting to be acknowledged.

He waited.

And waited.

“Excuse me,” Ryouma said. No response. “Rainbow Sage?”

Tenuously, he reached out and poked him. The Rainbow Sage let out a loud snore, waking himself up.

“Snrk-! Wha-?” he snorted as he regained his bearings, “You’re here already? I would’ve sworn the argument between you and siblings would last a few more minutes.”

“Great Rainbow Sage-” Ryouma started, ready to recount his tale of woe.

“Oh please don’t,” the Rainbow Sage said, “I already know you’ve got a full fifteen-minute speech planned.”

Ryouma huffed, somewhat disappointed.

“Anyway, I know why you’re here, so if we could just get this over with quickly...” The Rainbow Sage pulled an amulet out of his robe, the metal gleaming in the dim candlelight. “This has enough power in it to transport the four of you into Nohr, and wherever you’re planning to take the eight most powerful people on this continent next. Do be careful with it.”

Ryouma rubbed the cool metal in his palm, feeling the magic radiating off it. 

“Thank you, Great Rainbow Sage,” he said, smiling fondly and pocketing it.

“There is one other thing,” the Rainbow Sage added.

“What is it?” Ryouma asked.

“Invite me to the wedding this time,” he said. “Seriously, I’m not kidding. I can’t believe you two snuffed me like that.”

“But we never had that wedding. Do you even have a mailbox?” The Rainbow Sage narrowed his gaze.

“I’ll know. Now, off with you!” he said. “Well, maybe not immediately. I would advise against appearing suddenly in Krakenberg in the middle of the day.”

“That’s a good point, actually,” Ryouma said. He was, in fact, just going to teleport into Krakenberg in the middle of the day.

“Seriously, just take a nap or something,” the Rainbow Sage continued. “You look like you’ve been awake for days.”

Ryouma didn’t have the heart to tell him.

“Thank you for your assistance,” he thanked him one last time. “I cannot express how grateful I am.”

“Express it by getting this whole thing over with,” he said. “War only gets more boring as time goes on, believe me.”

Ryouma nodded, and left to rejoin his siblings. The Rainbow Sage went back to his previous position. It wasn’t until later that night, after they had long teleported away, that a thought struck him.

“Ah, should I have warned…?” he wondered. “Eh, he’ll figure it out.” He went back to his meditation, waiting eagerly.


End file.
